On the South Coast of Papua New Guinea, West of Port Moresby, in the Bite of Land around the Coral Sea lies the Gulf Province. Gulf Province is 34, 500 km² and is made up of Mountains surrounding a large swampy delta where the Kikori, Turama, Purari, and Vailala rivers meet. About 120,000 inhabitants live in hundreds of small villages in the Province.
Bringing basic health services to these widely scattered people is very challenging. Bringing Specialist services to the people is even more challenging. There are no regular specialist services currently available in the Province and people have to travel to the capital Port Moresby for treatment.
Like every tropical country, eye disease and blindness from Cataracts are common amongst the elderly population.
On December 1 2023, a Specialist Eye Surgery Team left Port Moresby and travelled by small plane and dinghy to Kapuna Hospital. Kapuna is a small Rural hospital set in the middle of the Gulf Delta. It is small and isolated and serves very scattered population.
The Eye surgical team comprised two eye specialist surgeons from the Laila Foundation based out of the Pacific International Hospital, Port Moresby, along with all the equipment and products needed to perform the surgery and supply the artifical lens implants.
Financial assistance was also supplied through the Provincial Health Department and through Private Donations. Travel was facilitated by the Total Oil Company who supplied fuel to transport the team from the Purari Airstrip to Kapuna Hospital, and to help to pick up patients from local villages.
Over one week 85 Cataract operations were performed. These were amazing life-transforming surgeries that would not have been otherwise performed. These surgeries transformed the lives of those living with poor vision and blindness.
We would like to acknowledge the following people and organisations who made this surgery possible.
1. Laila Foundation.- Dr Amyna Sultan and Dr Wahamu
2. Pacific International Hospital.
3. Provincial Health Authority. – Dr Alexander Maha
4. Total Energies Limited.
5. Mr and Mrs P Young for their generous donation.
On behalf of the staff of Gulf Christian Services, Kapuna Hospital and the people of Gulf Province we would like to say
THANK YOU and may GOD BLESS YOU.