Remote Middle Jimi gets critical health post
More than 6,000 people across four council wards in the Tsenga area of Middle Jimi, Jiwaka, are finally accessing basic healthcare services and vital medical supplies.
The rugged Tsenga area, located along the Bismarck Range, has long been considered a final frontier, cut off from vital government services due to poor road conditions.
However, a recent initiative by the Jiwaka Provincial Health Authority [JPHA] to establish a community health post [CHP] at Telta Village is changing lives.
Though the CHP is currently a makeshift facility built out of bush materials and corrugated iron roofing, it has not stopped staff from treating patients.
Local communities have expressed gratitude for the facility, stating that vital medical services have been missing in the area since independence.
Joe Kay, a local church elder, told NBC News that the area’s isolation had long had devastating consequences.
“We used to put sick patients into makeshift stretchers made of empty 40kg bags and carry them to the nearest point where we could catch a PMV,” Kay said. “Many times, our hopes of saving a life were shattered because patients would die on the bush tracks due to the grueling walking distance.
“The saddest thing has been the loss of mothers and babies during childbirth. We regularly watched mothers die from labor complications. The pain of living in such a remote area is very real.”
He said work on the temporary CHP began in September 2022, and the impact was felt almost immediately.
“Since then, we have seen the death toll drop. The lives of mothers and babies are being saved, our children are receiving routine immunizations, and our health is improving,” he said.
The Telta CHP is currently staffed by four dedicated community health workers [CHWs].
Joshua Paul, a CHW stationed at the facility, briefed this newsrooms that the post provides all baseline medical services mandated by the National Department of Health.
“We are equipped with basic medical supplies, essential drugs, vaccines, medical kits, and a solar refrigerator to keep vaccines at safe temperatures,” Paul said. “Even though our labor and patient wards are makeshift structures built from kunai grass and local timber, this does not stop us from doing our jobs.”
He added that while the facility desperately needs a vehicle to transport critical patients, staff remain optimistic that logistics support will arrive.
The Telta community is currently preparing for the grand opening of the health post on Monday, July 6.
Jiwaka PHA chief executive officer Thaddeus Turi, along with senior officials from the NDoH and development partners, are expected to attend the event.