Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd.

07/22/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/22/2021 00:35

Support to Port Moresby General Hospital Heart Centre bears results with first stenting procedure

  • Port Moresby
  • Posted 22nd Jul, 2021

Support to Port Moresby General Hospital Heart Centre bears results with first stenting procedure

In a first for the country, the Port Moresby General Hospital has become the first public hospital in the country to carry-out invasive cardiac catherization at a public hospital to diagnose and treat coronary heart diseases.

Dr. Paki Molumi Chief Executive Officer of Port Moresby General Hospital said at the landmark occasion that when the Cath Lab was opened only angiography procedures were performed by visiting Interventional Cardiologist. Through the support from KPHL, an Interventional Cardiologist was recruited who with the assistance of the local team performed the first stenting of a blocked coronary artery. This is a life-saving procedure to prevent the patient from dying of what is commonly called 'heart attack'.

'For the human heart to perform, a person's blood vessels need to stay wide open for blood to travel to and from the heart. At times, cholesterol or fat can build up substance referred to as arterial plaque that causes blockage to the arteries supplying the heart muscles, the coronary artery. Stenting is a treatment where a small mesh tube is placed in the blood vessel to widen it, and allow for efficient blood flow'.

Dr Molumi said: 'Today's event is very significant in that that we will no longer be waiting for visits by volunteers to come and perform these procedures on scheduled times of the year, instead we will now have the capacity to perform the procedures all year round, when needed by our patients'.

Kumul Petroleum Managing Director Mr. Wapu Sonk said that Kumul Petroleum Holdings limited (Kumul Petroleum) is proud to see that its commitment to support specialist healthcare, and in particular, that in less than one (1) year after the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) of the project, 'Port Moresby General Hospital Cardiac Support Programme' bears results today with the first stenting procedure.

'Kumul Petroleum's commitment to the Heart Centre is in direct support of the National Government's Strategic Vision to improve healthcare in the country and bring the level of cardiac services up to world health standards', said Mr. Sonk, noting that Kumul Petroleum is proud to see that it's efforts over a period of five years, through sustained support to studies and initiatives for the health sector has resulted in this momentous occasion, and further represents Kumul Petroleum's transition to a new level of maturity as regards to our Corporate Social Responsibility to the people of Papua New Guinea.

The coronary artery angiography and stenting procedure is the first of such to ever take place in any public hospital in Papua New Guinea, and is a culmination of the collaborative effort brought about by a tripartite MOA between the Ministry of Health and Port Moresby General Hospital Heart Centre, together with funding support from Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (Kumul Petroleum) for K10 million kina over five (5) years, with an overall project value of K50 million.

The procedure, carried out by the hospital's Interventional Cardiology unit was witnessed by Prime Minister Hon. James Marabe MP and Health Minister Hon. Jelta Wong MP who applauded the tripartite agreement, and congratulated all signatories and parties to the MOA for being a positive example of how public-private partnership and collaboration in the health sector should work; to the benefit of all Papua New Guineans.

Back to News