Yesterday, 24 September Prime Minister Marape officially commissioned the new Catheterization Laboratory, in the National Heart Centre at Port Moresby General Hospital.
At the commissioning ceremony, KPHL managing director Mr Wapu Sonk noted, “this is the culmination of many years of support to the facility by Kumul Petroleum, who committed K50 million over five years, back in 2020, in line with the National Health Plan 2021-2030.”
‘We should not of course be talking about the financial cost to Kumul Petroleum and Government of these infrastructure improvements, these interventions should be measured in the number of lives that are now able to be saved.”
“Since July 2021 when the first stenting procedure was carried out, to earlier this year, the National Heart Centre has completed 839 coronary angiograms and carried out 422 stenting procedures. This is a huge human return on investment!”
The National Heart Centre is now open to anyone who has a heart disease condition or complaint, providing angiograms, angioplasty, installation of pacemakers and other special procedures. The latest equipment and trained staff enable these procedures to be carried out in PNG, whereas in the past this treatment was only available overseas, and at a huge cost.
Mr Sonk added,”With the new equipment now being commissioned today more cardiac patients can be treated and more efficiently, including stroke reversal procedures, meaning that more lives will be saved.”
“So, congratulations to everyone who has been involved in getting the heart disease treatment facilities here at the National Heart Centre up to its current operational, and international, standard.
