24/07/2025
๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ
Lae, Morobe Province | July 24, 2025
The untimely death of a 17-year-old student has raised serious concerns about the capacity of public healthcare system in the main urban centers of PNG to respond to life-threatening illness in time.
Late Livaiton Samson Pope, a Grade 11 student at Ialibu Secondary School from Ialibu-Pngia District in Southern Highlands Province, died recently at Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae after a mysterious illness left doctors unable to diagnose him until it was too late. Despite displaying persistent symptoms including crippling headaches for nearly three months, Lavationโs condition was only identified as chronic meningitis in the late stages of his life.
โWe went from one test to another. Doctors tried, but they couldnโt identify the cause,โ said his father, Mr. Samson Pope, who stood by his sonโs bedside until his final breath. โHe died in my arms and I couldnโt save him.โ
Lavationโs symptoms began in his home village of Muli in Ialibu, where access to proper medical facilities is almost non-existent. In search of better treatment and a CT scan, the family traveled to Lae, hoping for answers. Yet what they encountered was a public hospital riddled with drug shortages and lacking of diagnostic tools.
โDoctors were doing their best. But the medicines just werenโt there,โ Mr. Pope said. โI had to buy 250g bullet tablets from outside for K7 each. He needed four a day, three times a day, for almost three weeks. Just for fever medication alone, I spent over K1, 700.โ
Angau Memorial Hospital, like many others in the country, continues to face critical shortages of essential drugs and equipment, forcing families to bear the burden of medical costs themselves. Livaiton, the eldest of three siblings, was more than just a student.
He was described by family, teachers, and peers as humble, respectful and spiritually grounded. Born on October 15, 2007, he grew up in a devoted Seventh-day Adventist family, placing his life around three pillars: faith, education, and family.
โHe never raised his voice. He always helped us when we faced problems,โ Mr. Pope recalled.
โEven while he was sick, he would comfort his younger brother and sister.โ
Lavationโs mother, Ruth Range, works as a counter server at Andersons Foodland in Lae.
Juggling her job with hospital visits, she watched helplessly as her sonโs condition worsened.
The Pope family bore all medical expenses out of pocket while enduring the pain of watching their son slip away.
The medical report, issued shortly before his passing, indicated that the illness was so severe and complex that initial symptoms were misleading, making early detection difficult. A hospital staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted it was one of those rare cases where time and resources ran out before a clear diagnosis was made.
โThe symptoms pointed in multiple directions. We were chasing time and hoping for clarity. But we lost him before we could act on it.โ
This tragic case has cast a spotlight on the broader structural deficiencies in PNGโs health system from rural referral delays and overburdened medical staff to the unavailability of lifesaving medicines and diagnostic tools.
โWe donโt blame the doctors,โ Mr. Pope said. โThey were compassionate and they tried. But we need a health system thatโs strong enough to fight back when our childrenโs lives are on the line.โ
The death of a promising young man like Livaiton has left an entire community mourning. Ialibu
Secondary School, his church, and friends remember him as a quiet leader, a role model, and a faithful Christian boy who lived with purpose and kindness.
โHe was more than just our son,โ Mr. Pope said. โHe was our strength, our hope and our future.โ
Late Livaiton is survived by his parents and two younger siblings, Desmah (11) and Hebron (4).
As his family prepares to lay him to rest, they are left not only with heartbreak but with a mission to ensure his story brings awareness, change, and hope to others.
โOur son is gone,โ Mr. Pope said quietly. โBut maybe his story can save someone else.โ
โ๏ธโ๏ธ Albert Moses
