By FRANCIS RODNEY PULU
THE PNG Nurses Association (PNGNA) wants to see the Provincial Health Authority (PHA) Act reviewed to see some important positions of nursing and medical services restored to the structure.
Association president, Fredrick Koddard Kebai, made these remarks while welcoming the incumbent General Secretary Kwalimu Mulina last week in Port Moresby.
He said the PHA Act has been suppressing these positions and there will be more appointments done with the National Department of Health, the Health Minister, Health Secretary and even Department of Personal Management to tackle some of the issues he advocates.
Kebai said with the reviewing of the PHA Act he would like to see the director nursing services, director medical services and the chief nurse positions restored.
He said nurses throughout the country are not satisfied with the current service provided by PHA.
“Therefore, we would like to see the PHA Act reviewed and appointments will be done with the Health Secretary and the Parliamentary Committee on Special Matters, chaired by Pomio MP Elias Kapavore,” Kebai said.
“This is to ensure that the Act is reviewed to suit the health delivery mechanisms in the country.
“At this moment as we speak, the Act does not suit the health service delivery in the country because it is too centred at the bureaucratic level and money is just circulating there and not reaching the members.
“That is why I would like to see the Act reviewed and the positions restored.”
He said the positions should be restored as per the Public Hospital Act.
“But this is something for my team and my legal counsel to pursue with the rightful authority to ensure these things are reviewed quickly and so these positions restored because it has hindered service delivery,” Kebai said.
“In restoring these positions, we will create a bridge so that whatever nurses are advocating when it comes to national health plan and its implementation, everything would work out.”
He said that he would also like to see the organisational structure of PHA aligned.
“In other words, PHAs must report to the National Department of Health Department (NDoH) and should exercise power over the PHA Act and the PHA chief executive officer,” Kebai said.
“At the moment, there is no alignment and the PHA CEO seems to be working in isolation and not with NDoH.”
The association’s legal counsel, Herbert Best Wally, shared similar sentiments and said when the PHA Act came into effect, they decided to make these positions redundant.
“It is creating a lot of problems in managing the hospital,” he said.
“That is why you can see that if the doctors are not doing their jobs, they have no boss and likewise, if the nurses are not doing their jobs there is no boss.”
