Village Health Assistant Praised – EMTV Online

The guardian of a female patient airlifted into Lae yesterday (Monday, Jan 20) was full of gratitude for the help a village health assistant (VHA) has been providing to people in her remote village.

Kawa Namas who has been working as a volunteer VHA at Qozolong Village in the Burum-Kuat area of Finschhafen, Morobe, for more than a year has been the primary point of contacts between the sick and staff and health facilities. He examines the patients in their homes and refers them to health facilities to seek treatment.

Rency Ilong of Qozolong Village thanked Namas for his efforts in helping women. The whole village came to know him as “ples dokta.”

“It is good that we have him because he helped a lot of women with referrals. Despite our growing population, we do not have a clinic or aidpost here,” she said.

“Our nearest health facility, the Lalang Aidpost is still too far for the very ill to walk. I am thankful because he has been visiting my in-law at our home and treating her with whatever medicines available.”

She said many women have died from child birth in this village. For my in-law’s case, she gave birth sometime in the first week of November last year and the baby died. Since then, she became very weak and began developing different various symptoms,” Ilong said.

“We sent for Namas and he has since been examining my in-laws’ condition at our home.”

Namas said the thirty-four-year-old mother, Siwa Zanzan (patient), was brought to Lalang Aidpost on December 23, but was referred to Angau Hospital for x-ray and possible treatment, but the transfer did not take place.

“The delay of referral was due to poor road conditions,” he wrote on an A4 size paper the referral letter to Angau Memorial Provincial Hospital.

“The mother has been spitting blood, her body refused the heat from fire and sunlight, she had chest pains, has been losing weight, and is too weak. She also has mild fever every afternoon and irregular monthly bleeding. It is serious and dangerous to her health.”

Ilong said because of the good work Namas is doing, the village built a temporary house last year from bush materials hoping that he can use it to examine the sick: “however it is not in use because there is no medicine and proper equipment.”

“I hope one day he can be equipped with whatever he needs so he can help a lot of our sick people. He has done a great job.”

Erebiri Zurenouc – EMTV News Contributor

“Erebiri Zurenuoc works with Manolos Aviation. She has been activity involved in medical evacuations in the Morobe Province.”