Nasauvere Village community health worker Makarita Waqa­levu said yesterday that trans­portation was a major problem in the highlands of Naitasiri.

Ms Waqalevu said had to trek two to three hours to reach the nearest carrier station.

“If we have to sell our yields in the market, we carry it on our shoulders and walk. In a few cases, sick people die because they were late to the hospital,” she said.

Ms Waqalevu was one of the 130 partic­ipants from the 16 districts of Naitasiri attending a joint project with the Minis­try of Health at Nabena Village.

All the way from Vanua Levu, Ms Waqalevu has been enjoying serving as the community health worker in Na­sauvere village after being married to one of the villagers in the highlands of Naitasiri.

“If this is what the Lord has wanted me to do, then, it’s an honor for me,” she said.

Yesterday she shared the story of her 10 years of experience holding the re­sponsibility.

“It has never been easy and it’s a big challenge,” she said.

She said transportation needed to be addressed urgently. Even the pregnant women will have to find places which were closer to the hospital to stay in once they were seven to eight months to avoid deaths and giving birth on the road.

“I have been serving for 10 years and it has never been easy for me. Nasauvere village is one of the few villages that still faced the problem of transporta­tion.”

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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