Caption:
Health Secretary Pascoe Kase cutting the ribbon to launch all 8
policies, flanked by his two deputies.
By MATTHEW VARI
Sunday, June 22, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)
THE 22nd National Health Conference
provided the perfect platform for the National Department of Health to launch a
record 8 policies all together at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby last week.
Witnessed by health professionals and
administrator from around the country, donor partners, and stakeholders, the
department proudly announced the launch of policies that covered a wide array
of issue in the health spectrum- to provide guidance for all practitioners in
the sector.
Dr Paisan Dakulala, Deputy Secretary of National Health Services
Standards while introducing the documents reminded all present that the
policies should be treated as living documents that should not gather dust but
be used effectively in practice.
The Medicines Policy he said would provide
a framework and direction in appropriating activities in the pharmaceutical
sector in PNG by stakeholder in both the public and private sectors and other
interested parties
“At the global scene there is still a
lot of debate about counterfeit and false labelling and any other scams that
creates confusion and deception, so the policy helps us take the right
direction,” Dr Dakulala said.
“National Family Planning Policy
ensures a clear understanding of family planning and its important role in
family, community, and national development among the population of Papua New
Guinea and its leadership.”
“The National Sexual Reproductive
Health Policy creates an enabling environment to create appropriate actions,
aimed at providing the necessary imputes and guidance to national and local
initiatives in all areas of sexual and reproductive health.”
He said that with the Youth and
Adolescent health policy was vital as to address one of the biggest issues in
the country.
“The youth issue is a big problem in
our country now and I think it is the right time for us to have this youth
policy in place,” he pointed out.
“Whereas the Health Gender Policy is
an issue that has been discussed and debated, and has gone through a lot of
rigorous thought which we now in place.”
“Infant and Young Child Feeding Policy
is crucial to child survival and it will help us set the foundation, because a
lot of children die as a result of such a problem.”
He added that the Integrated
Management of Childhood Illnesses Policy will deal with the problem and a
challenge to manage children who show up at health facilities at all levels.
Finally is the Newborn health policy
2014, which Dr Dakula explained was aimed at strengthening the achievements in
the rate of child mortality to newer levels.
Secretary for Health Pascoe Kase
thanked all his staff for their efforts in creating the policies, but reminded
them that the easiest part was done.
“It is important that we don’t just
develop policies and laws in Waigani, but go out to where it matters most and
get the real people to talk, and from their experience we develop new policies
or laws,” Kase said.
“We are developing these policies and
law, because they are very important functions of government- these policies
must be put in place to sanction our actions so that they become legal.”
“Because of the technical nature of
our organisation it is important have these to sanction our actions.”
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