No Roads Health - Central Track Expedition - 16 to 23 March 2018
We arrived in Port Moresby to the humidity that is expected at this time of year. The days were hot and steamy and the rain came down heavily each afternoon.
We had a great group of Health Care Professionals who had made the commitment to come and work with the Community and Village Health workers along the Kokoda Track. We had 2 Doctors, Intensive Care Nurses, Cardiac and Pediatric nurses with us, their skills and expertise was amazing and it was a honour to watch them work.
Our first clinic experience was at 6 mile Clinic in Port Moresby. This clinic is always busy and today was no exception. Patients lined up and waited patiently to be triaged and treated for a wide array of ailments and conditions. The clinic normally runs from 8.30am to 12 noon, however due to the large volume of patients, we were there until we saw the last patient at 1pm.
The next day, we were heading off by Helicopter to the middle of the Kokoda Track. We landed in the small village of Efogi to be greeted by the whole village who had come out to watch the chopper land. Once we were all there, it was packs on and we headed over to the village of Kagi. This would be where we would sleep the night and then run a clinic in the morning. The walk across from Efogi to Kagi is rather steep and difficult in parts. What better way to get a taste of the rugged terrain of the Kokoda Track. The Track was wet and it wasn’t long before we started to have some slips and falls.
The cloud had started to come in as we were walking to Kagi and we hadn’t been in camp long before the rain came. This rain was going to be a familiar sight over the coming days.
We arrived in Port Moresby to the humidity that is expected at this time of year. The days were hot and steamy and the rain came down heavily each afternoon.
We had a great group of Health Care Professionals who had made the commitment to come and work with the Community and Village Health workers along the Kokoda Track. We had 2 Doctors, Intensive Care Nurses, Cardiac and Pediatric nurses with us, their skills and expertise was amazing and it was a honour to watch them work.
Our first clinic experience was at 6 mile Clinic in Port Moresby. This clinic is always busy and today was no exception. Patients lined up and waited patiently to be triaged and treated for a wide array of ailments and conditions. The clinic normally runs from 8.30am to 12 noon, however due to the large volume of patients, we were there until we saw the last patient at 1pm.
The next day, we were heading off by Helicopter to the middle of the Kokoda Track. We landed in the small village of Efogi to be greeted by the whole village who had come out to watch the chopper land. Once we were all there, it was packs on and we headed over to the village of Kagi. This would be where we would sleep the night and then run a clinic in the morning. The walk across from Efogi to Kagi is rather steep and difficult in parts. What better way to get a taste of the rugged terrain of the Kokoda Track. The Track was wet and it wasn’t long before we started to have some slips and falls.
The cloud had started to come in as we were walking to Kagi and we hadn’t been in camp long before the rain came. This rain was going to be a familiar sight over the coming days.
The Clinic in Kagi was busy, with lots of young babies being presented for immunisations. I don’t think I have seen so many babies in the villages as we saw over the week. The trekkers got to work quickly doing health assessments and medications to those who were in need.
Following the clinic it was time to walk to the neighboring village of Naduri. This is not a long walk, but it had been raining non-stop since the previous night, so it was a wet walk. Sure enough, it rained heavily throughout our walk to Naduri and we were pretty wet by the time we got there.
All the clinics run by the trekkers were busy and they were able to put their incredible skills to good use. They ran educational sessions for the Village Health Volunteers and our No Roads Medic Porters on CPR, bandaging of wounds, and treatment of burns. These sessions were great fun and all participants were appreciative of their new knowledge.
A week goes pretty quick when you are out on the track, and it wasn’t long before we were at our last camp at Menari. We said goodbye to our Porter team and waited for the Helicopter to come and pick us up. Waving goodbye to the beautiful people of Menari, who had come out to see us go.
Once back in Port Moresby, and after a shower, we headed to the Port Moresby General Hospital for a tour. The trekkers found this very interesting, as they were able to compare the facilities there to what we have in Australia. The tour included visiting the Intensive Care Unit, General Ward, Midwifery and Special Care Nursery. It was a great tour.
It is an honour to be part of the Health Treks, because I am able to watch and learn from highly experienced medical people. I can see their passion for what they do and how they can help support the people on the Kokoda Track.
Well done to everyone!
Ruth Rampling
Expedition Guide
No Roads Expeditions
[email protected]
Following the clinic it was time to walk to the neighboring village of Naduri. This is not a long walk, but it had been raining non-stop since the previous night, so it was a wet walk. Sure enough, it rained heavily throughout our walk to Naduri and we were pretty wet by the time we got there.
All the clinics run by the trekkers were busy and they were able to put their incredible skills to good use. They ran educational sessions for the Village Health Volunteers and our No Roads Medic Porters on CPR, bandaging of wounds, and treatment of burns. These sessions were great fun and all participants were appreciative of their new knowledge.
A week goes pretty quick when you are out on the track, and it wasn’t long before we were at our last camp at Menari. We said goodbye to our Porter team and waited for the Helicopter to come and pick us up. Waving goodbye to the beautiful people of Menari, who had come out to see us go.
Once back in Port Moresby, and after a shower, we headed to the Port Moresby General Hospital for a tour. The trekkers found this very interesting, as they were able to compare the facilities there to what we have in Australia. The tour included visiting the Intensive Care Unit, General Ward, Midwifery and Special Care Nursery. It was a great tour.
It is an honour to be part of the Health Treks, because I am able to watch and learn from highly experienced medical people. I can see their passion for what they do and how they can help support the people on the Kokoda Track.
Well done to everyone!
Ruth Rampling
Expedition Guide
No Roads Expeditions
[email protected]