Twenty-five people from East Sepik are embarking on a new chapter of their lives, thanks to a life-changing collaboration between Frieda River Limited (FRL) and Interplast Australia New Zealand.<\/p>\n
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From 31 March to 5 April, Wewak\u2019s Boram Hospital became the beacon of hope, as a team of volunteer specialists performed 29 free and delicate reconstructive procedures on the 25 men, women, and children with conditions ranging from congenital deformities like cleft lips to debilitating injuries caused by burns and bush knife traumas.<\/p>\n
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The surgical team, a multidisciplinary force of compassion and skill, included two surgeons, a trainee surgeon from Papua New Guinea (PNG), two anaesthetists, six physiotherapists, and perioperative nurses from both Australia and Boram Hospital.<\/p>\n
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Sponsored by FRL \u2013 the proponent of the Frieda River copper-gold project in remote Sepik \u2013 this initiative marks the second year of a three-year partnership, with this year\u2019s mission seeing an increase in procedures compared to 2024.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe successfully conducted 29 procedures on 25 patients \u2013 12 more than last year,\u201d said team leader Dr Sid Karanth, who also revealed a sobering detail \u2013 that nearly 90% of the injuries treated stemmed from preventable bush knife attacks and burns.<\/p>\n
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One of the patients, 17-year-old Joyce Kokol, had lived with painful scars since childhood when an accident near her mother\u2019s cooking fire left her with severe burns. Boiling oil splashed across her neck, jaw, and right cheek, leaving her with unsightly disfigured skin. The day after the surgery, Joyce spoke softly but with resolve.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThank you to the doctors. I will return to school and try to live a normal life again. I want to finish school and become a nurse so I can help others.\u201d<\/p>\n
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FRL Country Manager, Joel Hamago thanked the visiting specialists from Australia who had given their time to this volunteer mission.<\/p>\n
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\u201cReconstructive surgery is a costly procedure, far beyond the reach of ordinary Papua New Guineans. That is why the FRL Sepik Interplast program exists \u2013 bringing in volunteer specialists from Australia to lead these life-changing surgeries free of charge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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With the FRL Sepik Interplast partnership continuing into 2026, more lives are set to be transformed \u2013 but the deeper call remains: healing not just bodies, but communities.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Twenty-five people from East Sepik are embarking on a new chapter of their lives, thanks to a life-changing collaboration between Frieda River Limited (FRL) and Interplast Australia New Zealand. From 31 March to 5 April, Wewak\u2019s Boram Hospital became the beacon of hope, as a team of volunteer specialists performed 29 free and delicate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7,15,25],"class_list":["post-987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-community","tag-healthcare","tag-socail-responsibility"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n