Islands Business - More mums HIV positive in PNG

PORT MORESBY, PNG (POST COURIER) ---- About 20 women are testing HIV positive at the antenatal clinic of the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) every month which indicates the HIV epidemic is getting worse. Nursing sister co-ordinating the maternity wing of the hospital Sister Jennifer Pyakalyia said this when taking reporters on tour this week. She said this was a sad situation but there was hope for the mothers who tested HIV positive because they were being counselled, put on antiretroviral drugs and given other help they need under the Prevention to Parents Child program. She said every effort is made to protect the baby of a HIV positive mother from being infected either while inside the womb, during delivery and even after delivery. She said many babies were now born HIV negative to HIV positive mums. Children who were infected were also being put on treatment so they would live longer. Sister r Pyakalyia said the labour ward at the hospital was always busy and often crowded, and mothers were encouraged to go to the private clinics to deliver to help relieve the hospital but they still come to PMGH. This could be because of lack of funds but she said many say they prefer to deliver at the hospital than anywhere else despite the problems that the hospital is facing. They also say the service is good, but the health workers needed support from the Government to improve. Meanwhile, child mortality rate at the Port Moresby General Hospital is increasing with more babies dying after being infected with HIV/AIDS, according to hospital reports Medical services director Dr David Mokela said that available statistics from the hospital’s paediatric ward showed that the number of children dying every year was going up steadily while HIV infection rate among babies passed on through mother to child transmission was very high. “The mortality rate at the children’s ward is about 2-3% of the overall deaths that occur at the hospital.“Last year alone, we had 260 children dying of which 40 of them were children with HIV/AIDS,” Dr Mokela said He said the trend of babies or children dying from HIV was going up and the hospital had taken necessary steps to focus on the prevention of parent to child transmission (PPCT) programme and getting it to work for the mothers who are positive.“PPCT has been around for some time but our main challenge has been on how we can make it work for mothers who are HIV positive and for the benefit of their children,” he said. Dr Mokela also said parents needed to be convinced of the importance and the main need of this for their children.