By MATTHEW VARI
Wednesday, April 30, 2014 (PNG)
THAT is the dilemma currently faced on the ground as provincial health official, who did not wish to be named, revealed.
He said that despite the good intentions of the government to introduce the free primary healthcare policy- it was not enough as medicines were scarce, with even some specialist medicines hard to come by as they were not catalogued for supply by the state.
“Basically our people are feeling the pinch of obtaining medicines because we are not responsible for the purchasing of drugs and are at the mercy of the government,” he said.
“So when the drugs are available at the centre we get our stock from, we have to put in a medical stores requisition, to go a get them from the medical stores there.”
“When they do not have it, we come back empty handed and wait because there is nothing.”
“For the patients it is a wait for them, for which they question us as to why there are no drugs when the government has put free primary healthcare.”
He said that for the free healthcare policy to work properly the government should make sure that the purchasing and distribution should be top notch, which he said was not the case at the moment.
“In the past we were collecting in a year about over K1 million, and last year we were just given a quarter of that as an installment, which doesn’t go as far to answer some of the issues we have.”
“I really don’t know when we will get another lot of funding.”
He pointed out that the non-catalogued specialist medicines that they had to buy from pharmaceutical companies were very expensive.
“They are not in the medical catalogue so we have to go out and buy it.”
“They are very expensive, so if we buy one such drug for K100, we sell it for K2.”
Other specialist consumables for some of their specialists are not in the catalogue and they were going out of their way to buy them since they cannot be covered under the amount received from the national government.
He said that as a result of the policy, they have a 95 percent occupancy of their beds.
“There has to be more awareness for people to understand that the same services are given at the rural clinics and aid posts as well under the new policy,” he said.
He, however, added that the people still come back as even the rural installations do not have the necessary supplies needed.
“Most of them come here because health centres can’t give them the care they need.”
“Once they improve the services in these areas then the information we give them will be worth while as they can go back and actually receive the kind of treatment that their local aid posts can give.”
“Its one thing telling them to go, and if they do and do not find anything there they will come back.”
Wednesday, April 30, 2014 (PNG)
THAT is the dilemma currently faced on the ground as provincial health official, who did not wish to be named, revealed.
He said that despite the good intentions of the government to introduce the free primary healthcare policy- it was not enough as medicines were scarce, with even some specialist medicines hard to come by as they were not catalogued for supply by the state.
“Basically our people are feeling the pinch of obtaining medicines because we are not responsible for the purchasing of drugs and are at the mercy of the government,” he said.
“So when the drugs are available at the centre we get our stock from, we have to put in a medical stores requisition, to go a get them from the medical stores there.”
“When they do not have it, we come back empty handed and wait because there is nothing.”
“For the patients it is a wait for them, for which they question us as to why there are no drugs when the government has put free primary healthcare.”
He said that for the free healthcare policy to work properly the government should make sure that the purchasing and distribution should be top notch, which he said was not the case at the moment.
“In the past we were collecting in a year about over K1 million, and last year we were just given a quarter of that as an installment, which doesn’t go as far to answer some of the issues we have.”
“I really don’t know when we will get another lot of funding.”
He pointed out that the non-catalogued specialist medicines that they had to buy from pharmaceutical companies were very expensive.
“They are not in the medical catalogue so we have to go out and buy it.”
“They are very expensive, so if we buy one such drug for K100, we sell it for K2.”
Other specialist consumables for some of their specialists are not in the catalogue and they were going out of their way to buy them since they cannot be covered under the amount received from the national government.
He said that as a result of the policy, they have a 95 percent occupancy of their beds.
“There has to be more awareness for people to understand that the same services are given at the rural clinics and aid posts as well under the new policy,” he said.
He, however, added that the people still come back as even the rural installations do not have the necessary supplies needed.
“Most of them come here because health centres can’t give them the care they need.”
“Once they improve the services in these areas then the information we give them will be worth while as they can go back and actually receive the kind of treatment that their local aid posts can give.”
“Its one thing telling them to go, and if they do and do not find anything there they will come back.”
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