PNG partnership and pack up begins

On Wednesday the 29^th of July a press conference was held at Port Moresby General Hospital. The panel consisted of; OHI team members Darren Wolfers and Suzanne Bedford local cardiac surgeon Noah Tapaua, local cardiac anaesthetist Arvin Karu as well as Port Moresby General Hospital CEO Grant Muddle, hospital board member Kathy Johnston and Dr David Mokela.

From next year Open Heart International will be returning to Papua New Guinea to work on both paediatric and adult cardiac services. This will occur twice per year and be comprised mostly of paediatric patients but be the stepping stone to a plan of PNG having its own fully trained staff in every area of cardiac surgery and care.

Open Heart International and the hospital have been working together for many years. The future of OHI in Papua New Guinea and with Port Moresby General Hospital is a four year partnership towards independence! This partnership goes all the way from an organisational level to the ground staff and holds much hope and a lot of positivity with the work being done here in PNG.

The future for collaboration between OHI and the staff here in Papua New Guinea looks to produce some exceptional results!

Yesterday was the last day for cases in theatre with two heart operations planned for the day. This means that ICU will gradually start to empty over the next couple of days and patients will slowly be leaving the ward also!

The team has completed a total of sixteen cases so far. This means that there will be a couple of patients in ICU today and by the end of the weekend everyone should be out of the intensive care unit and on the ward.

Today is pack up day. This is when all the gear that needs to be taken back to Australia gets packed up and shipped out. For a few days after pack up a selection of team members consisting of members of both ward and ICU teams will be around to lend a hand to the local staff for patient care.