Pentecost Island

The personal protective equipment arrived on a chartered plane from Port Vila for health centres, dispensaries and clinics.

There is heightened concern on Pentecost that Covid-19 has been able to spread because masks and gloves had not been available for people collecting cargo from the vessels and charter flights arriving from Efate and Santo, the only places where covid had occurred, up to last week.

Minister of Health, Bruno Leingkon announced that Torba Province and Pentecost Island will move immediately to Level 3 of the Vanuatu Outbreak Alert System, which means there is widespread community transmission, and the risk is very high.

A new health centre will be built at Melsisi and dispensaries will be constructed at Ledunvisi and Point Cross.

The project includes the refurbishment of Abwatunora Health Centre.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) and World Bank approved the project under Part 3 of VIRIP Finance Agreement, Public Building Reconstruction and Improvement.

The VIRIP which is worth Vt158 million was launched in response to Cyclone Pam which hit Vanuatu in 2015.

The cyclone caused extensive damage to infrastructure