SP Brewery Assists COVID-19 Front Liners

South Pacific Brewery (SPB) recognizes the efforts of our front liners who are doing an amazing job to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea.

St John Ambulance is a non-profit organisation that has been proactive in this fight, in the Nation’s Capital and their work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

On Tuesday 25 August 2020, SP Brewery donated K10,000 to assist the operation of the St John Ambulance COVID-19 team, in Port Moresby.

Since the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declared pandemic earlier this year, St John Ambulance set up an Incident Management Team to manage COVID-19 Operational activities which include:

1. Ambulance Services for people with (or being investigated for) COVID-19

2. Contact Tracing to assist the NCD Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA)

3. Operating a drive-thru swab centre

4. Warehousing protective personal equipment (PPE)

5. Ambulance service (Business as usual)

6. Continuation of some commercial activities and

7. Providing medical care for people in quarantine

St John’s COVID-19 priorities are to strengthen the coordination, technical and operational capacity of the national campaign against COVID-19, in partnership with the National Department of Health (NDoH) to prevent and respond to COVID-19 emergencies.

When presenting the cheque, SPB Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr John Nilkare said:

“Health is everyone’s business hence the importance for us all to fight the good fight in mitigating the risk and spread of COVID-19. We must all take precautionary measures by staying healthy, maintain social distancing and support each other, to get through this pandemic. We all have a joint responsibility to flatten the curve.”

Mr Nilkare made these comments when presenting the K10,000 cheque to St John’s Chief Executive Officer, Matt Cannon, at the Port Moresby Brewery.

“SPB is happy to show our support and appreciation for the wonderful work from the team at St John that they are doing in the country during this tough times,” he added.

CEO and St John Ambulance Commissioner Matthew Cannon said: “The support builds strong partnerships that will enable and ensure that St John has resources in mitigating strategies to support the national government to slow the spread of COVID-19 in PNG, where no one else can."

He said: “St John is the government’s lead partner in the national ambulance service. The support from SPB, partners, and stakeholders to St John will help St John’s COVID-19 operations in NCD.”

The continuity of St John's emergency prehospital health care services has been ongoing and Commissioner Cannon added “St John's response during the COVID-19 period is overwhelming and we have managed to build capacity to respond to COVID-19 as well as helping to improve prehospital emergency care.

This is great support given to St John where it is needed, when it is needed.

Next :PNG Reports 18 new cases, Confirmed COVID-19 cases now stand at 419