Ramu NiCo, in a generous act through its on going effort to bettering the lives of people along its project footprint, has provided crucial drug support to Ileg Health Center in Raicoast District by delivering the fourth and final medical subsidy for the year on.
The presentation of the drugs took place at the Ramu NiCo head office in Madang Monday 09 December, 2024.
The company through its Community Affairs Department donated the final quarter of medical subsidies to Ileg Health Center to continue serve the people along the coastal pipeline area of the Ramu NiCo project.
The medical drugs that were distributed on quarterly basis throughout the year have significantly supported the health center’s resources, enabling it to serve the local population.
The fourth and final medical supply for this year, 2024, included a variety of medicines critical for treating common sicknesses and supporting maternal and child health.
Local health officer Gabriel Puap expressed his gratitude, noting that Ramu NiCo’s support comes at a vital time, especially as the community faces increased healthcare demands.
Mr Puap explained that the health center, which caters to a large population, relies heavily on such contributions to maintain its services when government supplies were delayed.
“The burning down of the area medical store in Lae has posed a major setback to our medical supplies but we’re grateful Ramu NiCo always supported us in such times with the medical drugs, “he said.
“The supplies we get from Ramu NiCo help us to serve the local people throughout the year while waiting for the government supplies”, Mr Puap added.
He said there has been an increase in malaria cases affecting children under the age of five this year.
According to Mr Puap, children under the age of five were mostly vulnerable to malaria compared to other age groups.
He said , they were able to save many mothers during difficult labour and able to treat common illnesses such as malaria, flu, asthma, and other sicknesses with the medical assistance from Ramu NiCo.
“The medical supplies we get from the government are not enough because we distributed it with seven aid posts in the catchment area and I appreciate Ramu NiCo for consistently extending its hands to Ileg health center”, Mr Puap said.
The majority of the people around the catchment area live further inland and it takes them two to three hours to travel to Ileg health center. Transportation was a major challenge they face always face.
“Since transport is a problem we face in our area, some of the mothers gave birth in the village and I used to supply them with the medicines the company gave us,” Mr Puap said.
He thanked Ramu NiCo for establishing this initiative to assist the project-impact areas with essential medical drugs annually.
