New water tanks to end disruptions at Madang hospital
Constant water disruptions at the Madang Provincial Hospital will soon be a thing of the past, following the arrival of two new Southern Cross water tanks for installation.
In recent years, Madang has faced severe and ongoing water disruptions, at times forcing the hospital to scale down services and affecting healthcare delivery to patients.
The two 120,000-litre tanks, funded through the Provincial Support Improvement Program [PSIP], were purchased by the Madang Provincial Government as part of efforts to restore reliable water supply to the hospital.
According to technical officers from the Madang Provincial Health Authority [MaPHA], the new tanks will replace two old ones located behind the nursing quarters. Materials from the old tanks will be reused to build a standby reserve tank, and there are also plans to revive the old pump house behind the morgue.
Madang Governor’s Office Project Officer Stanley Soma said the Provincial Government’s support to MaPHA to purchase the tanks is part of Governor Ramsey Pariwa’s priority to address health challenges in the province, especially at the Modilon Hospital, which serves as the provincial referral hospital.
“We’ve seen our people being turned away from treatment because of the water shortage issues at Modilon, and it’s really concerning as this is our provincial hospital,” Soma said.
“Now that the tanks have arrived, we will let the MaPHA team do their part to install the tanks, and once completed, we will see its commissioning and then it will go into operation to serve the hospital and the people of Madang,” he added.
The two Southern Cross tanks, purchased at a cost of K297,200, are expected to be installed and commissioned in the coming weeks.