Angau Hospital receives 36 new ventilators worth K1.8 million

The new ventilators that arrived at the Angau Hospital in Lae. (Image: Supplied)

Patients struggling to breathe at Angau Memorial Provincial Hospital will have improved access to critical care following the arrival of 36 new ventilators valued at about K1.8 million.

The portable machines will be used in the emergency department, intensive care unit, nursery and acute medical and surgical wards.

They are intended for patients who cannot breathe sufficiently on their own and need urgent support to stay alive while they recover.

Australian Consul-General to Momase, Brenton Kanowski, said the ventilators were life-saving equipment for health workers.

“These ventilators are life-saving tools for our health professionals here at the hospital,” he said.
For Dr Steven James, director of medical services at the Morobe Provincial Health Authority, the equipment will strengthen the hospital’s ability to respond to critically ill patients.

“For us, receiving this very vital equipment will enable our acute care teams to better support patients in our care services,” James said.

The ventilators are portable, allowing health workers to move them between patients and departments when needed.

Health authorities are also considering using some of the machines in district hospitals, which could allow seriously ill patients outside Lae to receive urgent breathing support closer to home.

But James said the equipment would only be effective if staff were trained to use it and the machines were properly maintained.

“The person using the machine must understand how to operate it properly,” he said.

Director of Medical Services at Angau Hospital, Dr Steven James, receives ventilators from the Australian Consul-General to Momase, Brenton Kanowski. (Image: Supplied)

The ventilators were sourced through Save Our Supplies, an Australian charity based in Brisbane, and transported to Papua New Guinea on an Australian Navy ship.

The donation is part of a long-running health partnership between Australia and Morobe.

Australia has also supported the redevelopment of Angau Hospital, including planned work on wards and the construction of a standalone pharmacy.

For patients and their families, however, the immediate value of the new equipment is simple: better access to breathing support when it is needed most.