Kumul Petroleum News

In September 2020, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited, the national petroleum and energy company, made a commitment to  support the establishment of a Kidney Dialysis Unit at Mendi Hospital, to the tune of K1 million. Today, after a number of years, the dialysis unit is finally officially open and ready to take in patients.

At the 2020 ground-breaking ceremony, KPHL made their first instalment of K500,000 towards the Sothern Highlands Provincial Health Authority project and by mid-2021 building construction was well underway. Since then facility has been fully kitted out with the necessary water treatment other necessary equipment and medical staff trained in Port Moresby to operate it.

KPHL managing director Wapu Sonk states, “ Kumul Petroleum Holdings is proud to have partnered with the Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority in ensuring that this important life-changing medical facility is established and operational in a Highlands location, in a region where a large percentage of the country’s population lives. It is the second Government kidney dialysis centre in PNG after Port Moresby.”

“Kumul Petroleum has always had a health focus, we want to help save lives. We have supported the National Heart Centre at Port Moresby General Hospital and also financed cancer treatment at that hospital and ANGAU Memorial Hospital in Lae.This support of the Mendi Dialysis unit is a logical extension of KPHL’s health sector programmes”

Equipped with six dialysis machines each costing K85,000, the Kidney Dialysis Centre at Mendi will serve patients from throughout the Highlands region. Two of the dialysis machines will be provided by PNG Kidney Foundation while the other four are funded by the PNG Government. An important part of the facility is the water filtering and treatment system, which cost over K200,000.

Mr Wapu Sonk continues,”As PNG develops there is an increased incidence of lifestyle diseases such as cancer and diseases that affect organs such as the heart and kidneys, which often results in death. At Kumul Petroleum we hope that our financial support can assist the National Department of Health, such as today where we see the first Highland regional dialysis facility.”

“Kumul Petroleum is happy to be working in partnership with others in the health sector to achieve meaningful change in people’s access to medical services, in this case with the Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority, the Mendi Hospital and other provincial and regional health service providers. We hope that this medical facility will facilitate economic activities, bring back peace, hope and normalcy to the province.”

“Kumul Petroleum Holdings hopes that the dialysis unit here in Mendi properly serves its purpose, which ultimately is to save people’s lives – to become a kidney dialysis centre of excellence, providing training and development for our doctors, nurses and technicians.”