Kombo Clinic Opens

Mothers in the Kombo area of the Tambul/Nebilyer District will no longer experience unsafe deliveries or walk miles with their children to other local clinics to have access to basic health care.

Pastor Solomon Paul and Ms Rainey officially opening the facility.

Thanks to a partnership between the Western Highlands Mission of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen (SPSN) Program, a new clinic and two staff houses fully fitted with tanks were opened to the public on the 17th of December.The project titled ‘Setting Up a Clinic” was funded by the Australian Government through SPSN at a total cost of K499,943.

Pastor Solomon Paul from the Kombo Seventh Day Adventist Church said he saw a need for a proper clinic in his community whilst he was doing his pastoral duties.“Mothers in the community needed a proper place to give birth, the elderly people needed somewhere close by to walk to for proper health care and the community at large saw the need and teamed up with the Church and SPSN to bring about this clinic,” he said.Pastor Solomon thanked the Australian Government for the continued support and he urged his community to be responsible and take ownership of the clinic for their betterment.
“The Australian Government is pleased to have partnered with the Western Highlands Mission of the Seventh Day Adventist Church to bring this much needed service to the people and the onus is now on the locals to look after it,” she said.

During the opening, Field Program Coordinator for SPSN, Harry Gubala told the community to take responsibility for the new clinic. He said 13 wards in the area will benefit from this project and it is the responsibility of each and every one to look after the clinic.

Australian High Commission First Secretary, Emily Rainey who witnessed the opening said the project will benefit all including women, children and the elderly. She said this project will improve the livelihood of the people in the area.

According to the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority the Kombo Clinic will start reporting in January 2016 and it will be one of the 39 reporting clinic sites in Western Highlands Province.