Rural Health in backward innovation

A rural Aid Post in Papua New Guinea

By FIDELIS SUKINA

Health Workers and nurses in the rural areas are becoming more innovative in their efforts to save lives; this was highlighted at the 51^st Medical Symposium here in Port Moresby this week

Dr Lahui Geita a Maternal Technical Health Advisor with the Department of Health said that Health Workers and Nurses were resorting to innovation going back to the past.

“We are trying to move forward in innovation but it seems our rural aid post and hospitals are trying to become innovative with their little scarce resources.” Dr Geita said

His presentation showed pictures and some of the challenges faced by the rural health sector; Issues highlighted were the lack of proper infrastructure and basic maintenance by the rural health sector.

“We have beds in the rural aid posts tied with tubes to be held together, operating tables are so low at knee height that health staff operating on patients to prevent maternal mortality, have to sit on chairs to perform surgery, they are using kerosene stoves to sterilize their equipment and torches in the dark during supervised birth.”

“It is amazing that a health center has to put coconut frowns on the bed for patients, when there is a Supermarket about 100meters  away, mothers have to give birth and after almost 20 hours in labor have to walk  50meters to a maternity ward and then pick up buckets to fetch water for  bathing and toilet.” Dr Geita said

He added that there were some health centers and hospitals doing well but stressed that donor funding of money and supplies were not meeting the actual needs in the rural health centers

“I saw a sterilizer that works with power donated by donors to a health center that does not have power, satellite and phones have been installed in some areas but they no longer function.” Dr Geita said

He said he had advised the head nurses and community health workers to get inventory on the items that were too complicated and not really applicable to rural health centers to be given to provincial health centers in exchange for the basics of rural health centers.

“Some of these areas do not have power and these workers don’t have the training to operate such equipment’s as an ultrasound machine, I told them to get a list of this equipment and trade them for equipment that is more viable.” Dr Geita said