By LULU MARK - The National
PEOPLE who have heart ailments can be treated here at a much lesser cost than having it done overseas – thanks to a new Catheterisation Laboratory opened in Port Moresby yesterday.
The facility which will enable the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases was opened at the Port Moresby General Hospital by Prime Minister James Marape.
He was accompanied by former prime minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare and Health and HIV-Aids Minister Elias Kapavore.
Marape said it was a milestone achievement for the hospital and the country, and the Government would ensure specialist health care was established and strengthened in the country’s hospitals.
He said the Government would stay focused to ensure that better and modern health care was available to everyone.
The facility which will enable the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases was opened at the Port Moresby General Hospital by Prime Minister James Marape.
He was accompanied by former prime minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare and Health and HIV-Aids Minister Elias Kapavore.
Marape said it was a milestone achievement for the hospital and the country, and the Government would ensure specialist health care was established and strengthened in the country’s hospitals.
He said the Government would stay focused to ensure that better and modern health care was available to everyone.
Apart from congenital heart problems, heart diseases are caused mainly by lifestyle choices, he said.
“Lifestyle diseases are here to stay.
“The propensity and yearning of human beings is different.
“Some have yearning towards things that are unhealthy. And that is part of life in the modern world.”
He thanked hospital board chairman Sir Theophilus Constantinou for paying for the machine.
Hospital’s acting chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said the shipment and installation of the machine and its associated equipment, plus the construction of the laboratory facility cost more than K2.5 million.
Cardiothoracic surgeon and surgery coordinator Dr Noah Tapaua said the new laboratory marked a new era in medicine in the country.
He said equipment dedicated to cardiac treatment occupied a whole floor, making the management of cases easier.
He said it normally cost patients to go overseas for cardiac surgery and treatment around K300,000.
He estimates that the maximum cost of doing everything here will be around K20,000. And that is mainly because medicines and consumables are expensive.
The new laboratory will enable doctors to diagnose, open blockage in the coronaries, do stenting, do closed-heart patches for congenital heart diseases and conduct open heart operations.
He also thanked the Operation Open Heart team who had been coming in the past 25 years to conduct heart surgeries and train local doctors and nurses.
In total, the team treated 1145 with heart diseases.
“We now have a full team,” he said.
“We have a cardiothoracic anesthetic surgeon (himself), an adult and pediatric cardiologist, intervention cardiologist, two cardiac surgical perfusionists and about 31 nurses on the ground.”
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“Lifestyle diseases are here to stay.
“The propensity and yearning of human beings is different.
“Some have yearning towards things that are unhealthy. And that is part of life in the modern world.”
He thanked hospital board chairman Sir Theophilus Constantinou for paying for the machine.
Hospital’s acting chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said the shipment and installation of the machine and its associated equipment, plus the construction of the laboratory facility cost more than K2.5 million.
Cardiothoracic surgeon and surgery coordinator Dr Noah Tapaua said the new laboratory marked a new era in medicine in the country.
He said equipment dedicated to cardiac treatment occupied a whole floor, making the management of cases easier.
He said it normally cost patients to go overseas for cardiac surgery and treatment around K300,000.
He estimates that the maximum cost of doing everything here will be around K20,000. And that is mainly because medicines and consumables are expensive.
The new laboratory will enable doctors to diagnose, open blockage in the coronaries, do stenting, do closed-heart patches for congenital heart diseases and conduct open heart operations.
He also thanked the Operation Open Heart team who had been coming in the past 25 years to conduct heart surgeries and train local doctors and nurses.
In total, the team treated 1145 with heart diseases.
“We now have a full team,” he said.
“We have a cardiothoracic anesthetic surgeon (himself), an adult and pediatric cardiologist, intervention cardiologist, two cardiac surgical perfusionists and about 31 nurses on the ground.”
