A Bougainville landowners group says it has made a huge donation to help a refurbished hospital acquire much needed medicines.
The Arawa District Hospital in central Bougainville has been undergoing a major upgrade over the past year and will be re-opened soon.
While the hospital is reported to have up to date medical testing equipment, drugs are another story, with hospitals throughout Papua New Guinea running short in the past year.
Arawa, Bougainville Photo: RNZI
The chairman of the Special Mining Lease Osikaiang Landowners Association, SMLOLA, Philip Miriori, says the association is donating $US97,700.
He said the donation could not be made without the help of the RTG mining company, which has partnered with his Osikaiang group in efforts to re-open the long closed Panguna mine.
So far those efforts have come to nought with the autonomous Bougainville Governemnt placing an indefinite moratorium on mining at Panguna.