THE Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) Pauline McNeil has admitted that more work still needs to be done at the country’s Western border to support the preparedness and response efforts against COVID-19.
Mrs McNeil made the admission during the handover of 5 medical ventilators to the Ministry of Health at the National Referral Hospital conference room, Thursday.
“I have the opportunity to visit our team at the border and it was an eye opener because the threat now is just 14 kilometers away – across the border in the neighboring Bouganville.
“I have seen that a lot of capacity building needs to be conducted at the Western border to get them fully prepared and possibly enable them to keep our side of the border safe from the virus,” she said.
She further added that a lot of Protective Personal Equipment (PEEs) needs to be dispatched and ICP trainings need to be done as these are crucial to our campaign at the Western border.
“Now we must continue to mobilize efforts amongst all of us, and it’s also good to note that the building capacity and capability on the ground is slowly gaining momentum and the handover today is a testament of the collaborative efforts over the past six months to ensure that we deliver the supplies in a timely manner,” PS McNeil said.
She thanked the Australian Government, WHO and UNDP and other Regional partners for their continuous support in the country’s battle against COVID-19. The PS also thanked the front line workers for their continuous efforts 24/7 to keep the borders secure and ensure the country is COVID-19 free.
By ESTHER NURIA
