By ESWIN PLESIO- UPNG Journalism Student
THE Governor for Oro Province, Hon. Gary Juffa has interrogated the Health Minister, Hon. Elias Kapavore yesterday (Thursday, November 28th, 2024) during the Parliament sitting.
He questioned the Health Minister on the article that appeared in the National Newspaper about the health workers going on strike over K18.2 million in unpaid allowances.
Governor Juffa said the health workers going on strike doesn’t happen automatically because they are duty bound to serve the lives of the people.
“For them to go on strike is a serious issue in which it has to be addressed immediately,” Juffa said.
Furthermore, Juffa questioned the speaker on the outcome of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommendation which was delivered in 2020, under the chairmanship of Hon. John Pundari.
He said the enquiry carried out shed light on corruption in the National Department of Health particularly to do with the procurement and the distribution of drugs.
“We would like to know from you the deputy speaker whether the minister intense to continue with the implementation of these recommendations without taking so long. It’s been four years and many of these recommendations have not been implemented, ” Juffa said.
Hon. Juffa questioned the outcome of the recommendation by the PAC in which Oro is the victim to it.
In response, Kapavore said the department hasn’t place a working committee and have started to implement the 15 recommendations that were in the PAC report and in regard to the article that was published yesterday.
“The department is in consultation with the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) to make sure that the allowances that are in the claims must be verified and justified properly especially the domestic market allowances and the housing allowances,” Kapavore said.
“Therefore, the discussion between the department and the DPM is still on going to make sure things are sort our properly.”
He added that some of these allowances must be captured in the payroll system to make sure that the health workers are paid fortnightly without any more accumulation.
