Port Moresby General Hospital Records 6 New COVID-19 Deaths

PMGH (Port Moresby General Hospital) has recorded a total of  six (6) COVID-19 deaths, 3 in the past 24 hours and another three since the upsurge of  COVID beginning on the 27th of September and; over 120  patients have been admitted according to PMGH CEO (Chief Executive Officer)  Dr Paki Molumi.

“Positivity rate has increased from 33 percent on the 27.09.21 to 70 percent today which means of every 10 patients with cough, flu, running nose, fever tested for COVID, 7 of them are positive. We have 92 COVID patients admitted to PMGH. Our 19-bed isolation ward is full. A medical ward was opened up to accommodate the numbers,” Dr Molumi said in a WhatsApp Group Page “ PMGH Media Friends “ when interviewed this week.

Dr Molumi said all six deaths were unvaccinated and appealed to the general public to get vaccinated.

 “The current 3rd Wave of COVID-19 is the worst since the pandemic outbreak,” Dr Molumi stated in an Inter-Office Memo to all Directors, Clinical,  Coordinators, Nurse Coordinators and Managers on Friday the 10th of October.

“Our strategy in the two weeks scale down is to improve capacity at the AustMat Tri-Age Tent for triaging and Taurama Aquatic Centre to take on cases  so PMGH returns to normal services. The main purpose of the scale down was to mobilize staff to support COVID-19 Committee to do a roster, Dr Molumi said.

He has directed each clinical coordinator to provide names from the 9 divisions of surgical, paediatrics, dental, ophthalmology, ENT, Psychiatry, Physiotherapy, Pathology and Radiology to support the COVID-19 activities.

“We are moving staff from this areas to assist. We need 30 nurses and 10 doctors on STC now,” Dr Molumi said.

“In the coming days we will improve the capacity of TAC to take on moderate cases so PMGH can be freed up to return to normal to provide other service after the two week scale down. The two weeks scale down is to mobolise manpower,” Dr Molumi said.

He added that the oxygen supply at PMGH is good.

“We are getting support from our friends of POMGEN to maintain stocks of other supplies,” the PMGH CEO said.

Source: Sunday Bulletin

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