When most people are still tucked up in bed at 4am, the mothers in the Special Care Nursery at the Port Moresby General Hospital are starting their day, feeding the infants, a routine that occurs every three to four hours.
The babies are weighed at 5.30am and then the mothers have a cold shower before breakfast. The nursery usually has between 20 and 30 infant patients.
Ward rounds are at 8am and if a baby's progress meets the doctor's expectations, mother and child are sent home.
The nursery at the Port Moresby General Hospital, which was built in the 1960s, is the only such unit in the National Capital District of Papua New Guinea.
The building was renovated in 1972 by the Rotary Club of Boroko. But since then birth rates have soared, along with the demand for care for critically ill infants, and scant government funding has been available to maintain the nursery, which has now fallen into disrepair with unsanitary conditions.
In addition, it is considered a fire hazard because of the gross overcrowding, according to members of the Rotaract Club, an NGO comprising 18- to 29-year-old members of the Rotary club.
About three years ago, Bethany and her mother Morlyne spent almost two weeks in the nursery, because of the infant's low birth weight. Regardless of the general deterioration of the nursery, the care provided by the doctors and nurses enabled Bethany to gain weight surprisingly fast, Morlyne said, and her daughter was soon given the green light to go home.
"My time at the nursery with Bethany has really made my husband and I appreciate the support given even with the limited resources available. I wish we were billionaires so we could assist the nursery," Morlyne said.
Cramped conditions
Even though resources are few, Sister Julie Paiva, who is in charge of the nursery, said she and the other employees do their best to keep the place clean and germ-free.
A visit to the nursery can be wrenching, especially witnessing infants die because it lacks state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.
It has an intake of between 50 and 100 babies a month, many of whom are discharged early to enable infants in a worse condition to be cared for, according to the nurses.
The nursery was originally built to World Health Organization (WHO) standards stipulating six to 10 babies per room with 1m spacing between them.
But now most of the cribs are crammed together in one room, increasing the risk of contamination and spread of infectious diseases.
A room that had originally been designated as an isolation ward for infants with infectious diseases is used mainly for storing equipment. At times, babies that have died are placed in the room, which is not air-conditioned, until family members arrive to claim the body.
Fresh start
Rotaract Club is planning to build a new Special Care Nursery at the Port Moresby General Hospital - one that is expected to be a state-of-the-art facility with essential medical equipment so more infants can be saved.
Work at the new site has yet to begin, however. According to a Rotaract club member Margaret Lifu, the project is expected to get under way as soon as the formal agreement is signed. "The Rotary Club of Port Moresby has agreed to act on our behalf and in partnership with us, and they will help to manage the project," she said.
Government statistics show the PNG population has almost doubled since independence in 1975. The new nursery is being built with that growth in mind, and to cater for the increasing number of newborns with serious medical problems at a crucial stage of development in their lives.
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The babies are weighed at 5.30am and then the mothers have a cold shower before breakfast. The nursery usually has between 20 and 30 infant patients.
Ward rounds are at 8am and if a baby's progress meets the doctor's expectations, mother and child are sent home.
The nursery at the Port Moresby General Hospital, which was built in the 1960s, is the only such unit in the National Capital District of Papua New Guinea.
The building was renovated in 1972 by the Rotary Club of Boroko. But since then birth rates have soared, along with the demand for care for critically ill infants, and scant government funding has been available to maintain the nursery, which has now fallen into disrepair with unsanitary conditions.
In addition, it is considered a fire hazard because of the gross overcrowding, according to members of the Rotaract Club, an NGO comprising 18- to 29-year-old members of the Rotary club.
About three years ago, Bethany and her mother Morlyne spent almost two weeks in the nursery, because of the infant's low birth weight. Regardless of the general deterioration of the nursery, the care provided by the doctors and nurses enabled Bethany to gain weight surprisingly fast, Morlyne said, and her daughter was soon given the green light to go home.
"My time at the nursery with Bethany has really made my husband and I appreciate the support given even with the limited resources available. I wish we were billionaires so we could assist the nursery," Morlyne said.
Cramped conditions
Even though resources are few, Sister Julie Paiva, who is in charge of the nursery, said she and the other employees do their best to keep the place clean and germ-free.
A visit to the nursery can be wrenching, especially witnessing infants die because it lacks state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.
It has an intake of between 50 and 100 babies a month, many of whom are discharged early to enable infants in a worse condition to be cared for, according to the nurses.
The nursery was originally built to World Health Organization (WHO) standards stipulating six to 10 babies per room with 1m spacing between them.
But now most of the cribs are crammed together in one room, increasing the risk of contamination and spread of infectious diseases.
A room that had originally been designated as an isolation ward for infants with infectious diseases is used mainly for storing equipment. At times, babies that have died are placed in the room, which is not air-conditioned, until family members arrive to claim the body.
Fresh start
Rotaract Club is planning to build a new Special Care Nursery at the Port Moresby General Hospital - one that is expected to be a state-of-the-art facility with essential medical equipment so more infants can be saved.
Work at the new site has yet to begin, however. According to a Rotaract club member Margaret Lifu, the project is expected to get under way as soon as the formal agreement is signed. "The Rotary Club of Port Moresby has agreed to act on our behalf and in partnership with us, and they will help to manage the project," she said.
Government statistics show the PNG population has almost doubled since independence in 1975. The new nursery is being built with that growth in mind, and to cater for the increasing number of newborns with serious medical problems at a crucial stage of development in their lives.
cp/bj/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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