Story by Mandy Glass. Photos by Dr Simon Ganal
HEALTH PATROL TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA The last week of April 2021 also saw the launch of a renewed partnership with the Lutheran Health Services in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, and with it we are hoping to establish another regular aerial health patrol project out of Wasu. Wasu is the airstrip connecting the Etep Rural Hospital which is nestled uphill from Wasu airstrip and serving a population of 150,000 people in the area.
perspective, Sapmanga is one of the very best locations to start this project to improve primary healthcare in one of the most rural parts of Morobe and PNG.”
Brad Venter, one of the pilots, flew the first of the Morobe clinic patrols on 26 April 2021. He shared, “This has been a Photo: The team waits outide work in progress with Dr Simon the MAF aircraft - ready to go. Ganal and the Lutheran hospital in Etep for over a year. We flew a team of seven health workers, including Simon, to Sapmanga “We are all excited and ‘loaded’ where they will work in the for the first MAF-supported community to deal with medical Health Patrol,” stated Dr Simon cases, do health training and Ganal, Medical Officer at Etep vaccinations.” Rural Hospital. “From my
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