Many tributes have been posted for a doctor from Papua New Guinea's Western Province who was killed last week. This is the first confirmed death of a Covid-19-trained healthcare worker in the country.
Dr Naomi Kori Pomat (60), the director of curative services at the Western Provincial Health Authority, died on September 19th.
Dr David Pomat, her son, said to the Guardian that Dr Naomi Pomat was his mother. She was a loving, caring, humble, and selfless woman who gave her life for her people, despite all odds.
Over social media, well wishes pour in. Friends and family who knew her recall her life and dedication to the people and West Province.
According to the Western Province Health Authority, she was the first female physician in the province. She also served as the first female specialist doctor in the province. She was later appointed director of Curative Health Service, WPHA.
The Western Province Health Authority announced her death via Facebook. She was the one who set the standard and gave young people a challenge. It's a great vacuum that Dr. N Pomat has left. It is a huge loss for the PNG medical fraternity. We are grateful for your distinguished service to PNG and Western Province.
Pomat's parents wrote another tribute: She was there to support and guide us through the toughest months of our lives. She was kind, soft-spoken and gentle but she was unmoved in her determination to honor God and love others. With her, the world was a better place.
Soroi, acting prime minister, stated that Pomat wasn't vaccinated. He urged all doctors to get vaccinated in order to prevent future incidents. Although it is possible that other PNG health workers have been affected by Covid-19, this is the first time that the government has confirmed that Pomat's death was due to the virus.
Papua New Guinea is currently dealing with a third wave Covid-19. The Western Province has been designated as a hotspot. The Delta variant is rapidly spreading in the province. Officially, 19,000 people died and 225 were affected by Covid-19 in the country during the pandemic. However, the actual numbers are likely to be much higher due to the extremely low testing rates.
Dr Daoni Esorom was the deputy controller for the national pandemic response. He announced that Daru, capital of Western Province had reported 89 cases in the past two weeks.
Due to an increase in positive cases, other provinces are being closely monitored include West Sepik and Enga, as well as the National Capital District.
Due to an increase in cases, super-spreader events such as the Goroka annual Goroka show in the Eastern Highland capital were cancelled.
John Gimiseve (administrator Eastern Highlands) stated that the decision was in the best interest of the people.
He said that 24 new cases and four deaths had been recorded at the hospital in the first two weeks. This is alarming news for the people of our country.
Our population is not following the new normal measures, which further complicates the situation. Even 33% of our province's frontline population is vaccinated. This poses a risk, and could lead to massive calamity.
Papua New Guineans are less than 0.5% vaccinated. This is lower than the rate in neighboring Melanesian countries like Fiji (43%) Solomon Islands (33.3%) and Vanuatu (4.5%).
PNG's vaccine hesitancy has been strong. Misinformation and fear have hindered efforts to immunise people. The government was forced to throw away tens of thousands doses that had expired, despite the international community trying to provide vaccines to PNG in March following a second outbreak.
In September, Covax sent 30,000 AstraZeneca doses to Vietnam. They were due to expire in 2 months. It was unlikely that they would be used in PNG after the expiry date.
