ICTSI South Pacific ramps up COVID 19 response

The COVID-19 outbreak is one of the most disruptive events in recent history, affecting the global economy and the lives of countless people worldwide.  Since day one of the outbreak in Papua New Guinea, ICTSI South Pacific has implemented measures to ensure the safety of employees and port users transacting at the terminals in Lae and Port Moresby.  

Handwashing and sanitizing stations have been installed in various locations at South Pacific International Container Terminal (SPICT) and Motukea International Terminal (MIT).  All personnel are required to wash their hands and undergo temperature screening before they can enter the terminals.

To prevent the spread of infection, physical distancing is also mandated in all offices and company buses.  New procedures have also been rolled out to limit physical contact between employees and port users.  Keeping the ports COVID-free ensures the continuous movement of trade in and out of the country.  Both SPICT and MIT have remained operational despite the outbreak.

An external truck driver gets his temperature checked as part of protocol before entering Motukea International Terminal

ICTSI South Pacific’s COVID response also extends to the local host communities.  The Company donated wash basins to schools in Lae and in the Baruni and Tatana communities in Port Moresby to encourage students to practice frequent hand washing and proper hygiene as a first line of defense against COVID-19.

Students from a primary school in Lae use the wash basin donated by SPICT

The Company also made a recent donation of 12,000 personal protective equipment and 125 rapid test kits to Angau Memorial Hospital to support the Morobe provincial health authority’s fight against COVID-19.  The PPEs would also be used by medical staff handling patients of other infectious diseases like Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Robert Maxwell (right), ICTSI South Pacific Chief Executive Officer, during the turnover of personal protective equipment and COVID rapid test kits to Angau Memorial Hospital

Earlier in the year, ICTSI South Pacific donated IT equipment to Port Moresby General Hospital to promote telemedicine.  The IT equipment helped ease the strain on the outstretched resources of the hospital by allowing doctors to remotely monitor the Rita Flynn isolation facility for COVID patients instead of travelling to the facility to personally manage the cases.  The technology also enables local doctors to communicate with other doctors across the world to share critical information.

Mr. Maxwell (right), personally oversaw the turnover of the IT equipment donation to Port Moresby Hospital last May