Fifteen people from Mt Bosavi in Hela Province need repatriation from Mt Hagen General Hospital to Hela Province.
Doctor in Charge of six patients from Mt Bosavi, Dr Madison Dat, says the hospital has been lenient enough to accommodate and feed the victims for three weeks since the earthquake.
Dr Dat spoke off camera that for the last two weeks, the hospital is seeing an increase in the number of patients coming in because of the closure of hospitals in Hela and Southern Highlands Provinces.
Mt Hagen General Hospital is housing the patients inside a small ward with ten beds inside. They have also been given meal cards to eat at the hospital mess.
There are six patients, four children and five guardians. The smallest is a 4-month-old baby. She and her mother were hit by a fallen rock two days after the 7.5 magnitude earthquake. Her mother was carrying her after coming from the garden when a rock fell and hit the mother on the head and the baby on her left eye. Both and other victims from Mt Bosavi were brought by MAF to Mt Hagen General Hospital.
Another woman, Nake Healoka in her 30’s is survived by her 10-year-old daughter. She lost her husband and six children during the earthquake.
Most of the patients and their guardians could not speak or understand Tok Pisin. The only translator was Kepoax Kandu who interpreted to EMTV the story of Nake, who is receiving treatment at Mt Hagen Hospital for injuries to her body from the waist down. Mt Hagen General hospital staff have also been donating food, clothes and sanitary to the victims from Mt Bosavi.
The victims have no relatives in Mt Hagen and for now are living at the hospital and utilising the hospital’s services.
They have been discharged from the hospital this week, but are still waiting to be repatriated. The hospital contacted the disaster centre, but have not received a good response.
