“The rising population has placed enormous strain on the hospital’s maternity ward and frontline healthcare workers” (Mola, 2026).
An excerpt from Professor Glen Mola in a recent PNG Haus Bung article, describing the overcrowded conditions at Port Moresby General Hospital’s Maternity Ward. With only 24 beds but up to 50 births a day, the ward has been pushed far beyond its limits, leaving mothers and newborns vulnerable while staff struggle under immense pressure.
With this in mind, the women of Oilmin carried on their annual tradition of support to commemorate Mother’s Day at the Port Moresby General Hospital’s Postnatal and Maternity Ward. Organised through Friends of Pom Gen, a charity organisation that supports PMGH by coordinating donations and gathers community partnerships, to help patients’ everyday need during their admission, they visited the Postnatal and Maternity Ward to donate baby essentials, food items, and tokens of appreciation for the hardworking staff.
The donation included care packs for mothers consisting of bath soap, sanitary pads, toothpaste and more. Baby items included blankets, soap, shampoo, powder, oil, wipes, diapers, gloves, and socks. Food and household supplies were also delivered.
Staff were not forgotten. Small tokens of appreciation were handed to nurses, recognising their tireless dedication to caring for mothers and babies during their difficult circumstances.
The items were received by Sr. Filma Kuman, Nurse Unit Manager of the Special Care Nursery, and Jane Roland, Operations Officer of Friends of Pom Gen. After the handover, Oilmin’s women personally distributed the essentials to some mothers in the Special Care Nursery.
Sr. Filma, expressed her gratitude stating, “These types of donations, fill those gaps that most mothers that are admitted at the labour ward don’t have. It’s very helpful and we are thankful for that.”
This tradition is more than just a donation drive for the women of Oilmin. It is a way of standing alongside mothers during one of the vulnerable times in their lives to celebrate the day that is dedicated to them, and of recognising the nurses and staff who continue to work under immense strain.
Stella Iameura, from Oilmin’s Social Committee which organised the donation expressed, “As a mother and as a woman I feel so privileged to be a part of this group and this organisation to go and donate to the mothers at the labour ward. It was such a blessing to see the mothers receiving the gift and knowing that even if it was small, they appreciate it. “
When asked how this donation reflected the company’s values, Rumbi Maguma, Oilmin’s CFO emphasised, “At Oilmin, we believe in creating good relationships with the communities in which we serve, as well as acting responsibly.”
Ms. Maguma added,” Our values demonstrate that not only do we act responsibly but we actually aspire to go from strength to strength and become a good corporate citizen, and an act like this not only inspires the women but people in the organisation to keep strong with our values and our responsibilities go beyond the work place and reaches out to our communities. “
At a time when PMGH’s maternity ward continues to face overcrowding and shortages of essentials, donations like this remind us at Oilmin that actions of kindness can bring dignity, comfort, and hope.
References:
- Mola, G. (2026, May 23). Overcrowded labour ward puts mothers, babies at risk. PNG Haus Bung. [https://www.pnghausbung.com/overcrowded-labour-ward-puts-mothers-babies-at-risk-prof- mola/](https://www.pnghausbung.com/overcrowded-labour-ward-puts-mothers-babies-at-risk-prof-mola/)
- Friends of Pom Gen. (n.d.). About us. Friends of Pom Gen. Friends of POMGen – FOPG