By MATTHEW VARI
Sunday, August 17, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)
DEPUTY Opposition Leader and Member of Bulolo, Sam Basil, has revealed to parliament the dilemma faced by his district in terms of the National Government’s Free Healthcare Policy- saying confusion in the delivery of policy were not been clearly undertaken by public medical establishment in his district and province.
Mr Basil referred to recent media releases from Health Secretary, Pascoe Kase, regarding the delivery of health services in provinces as the responsibility of provincial governments.
“We have issue of fees that they are charging, or who regulates the fees and by how much. Drug procurement we are looking whether you can give it to the DDA for us to do it because a lot of places drugs are not reaching,” Basil told the Health Minister, Michael Malabag.
“Some finding we have is that provincial government authorized staff but they are not in their place of work.”
“In the Morobe province, I think the governor can speak for himself, there is no free health service in Morobe Province because all the health facilities are charging fees that is why I am asking the minister. Who is regulating it?”
He asked how the district would hold the provincial government officers responsible for the issues raised.
“A lot of times they close the hospitals saying that they are not clean, and whose responsibility is it. Because we, the DDA (District Development Authority) boards we are also confused because they say sometimes it is the responsibility of the DDA or National Health Department or provincial government.”
“Minster must make it clear if the free health service that the government has put in the policy is happening or not. Health centers are charging fees of K5, K2 to get injections.”
Health Minister, Michael Malabag, maintained the policy’s existence over the last four year as per the Alotau accord from Government caucus.
“It has been implemented- it’s working, but sometimes the hospitals put their own fees but they are not supposed to be charging fees,” Minister Malabag explained.
“But there are individual boards of hospitals who are going ahead without letting the department know, and we are aware of that, with the department taking steps to address those issues that are being raised in not every hospitals but a few hospitals.”
“It is true that a lot of responsibilities have been decentralized to the provinces, especially primary health care, and those responsibilities for hospitals who have now been joined together under Provincial Health Authorities- all those responsibilities are tied up with the boards.”
The minister affirmed that funding issues were involved, with treasury and finance assuring shortfalls to be addressed.
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