The National Doctors Association (NDA) has formally called on the National Executive Council (NEC) to revoke the permanent appointment of Pascoe Kase as as permanent Secretary for Health.
The national doctors warned that the decision made by the NEC risks undermining fragile reforms and stability within PNG’s national health system.
Dr. James Naipao, president of the National Doctors Association (NDA) wrote a detailed letter to the Prime Minister dated December 19, said doctors around the country were deeply disturbed by reports circulating that Mr Kase had been appointed, despite the absence of formal public announcement.
Dr Naipao said the reported reappointed of Mr Kase has caused wide-spread uneasiness among senior doctors, health professionals, development partners, and frontline workers. They questioned why the NEC saw fit to reappoint an individual it (NEC) had previously removed from office in 2018.
“The absence of transparent public explanations confirming that integerity and governance concerns have been fully resolved rsises serious concern,” the president of the NDA said.
The NDA also questioned the NEC whether it had taken into account the public documented concerns surrounding Mr Kase’s previous tenure, noting that no assurance had been provided which indicated that a fit-and-proper assessment was conducted.
One particular concerns the NDA asked was whether NEC Decision No: 35/2025, which approved the establishment of administrative inquiry into shortlisting and ranking of eligible candidates for the position of Health Secretary.
The NDA said it’s a public knowledge but no outcome or report from that inquiry had been made public – raising doubts whether the NEC forgets to comply with its own rules and applied their own directives by making a reported appointment.
They also raised grave concern regarding deliberate exclusion of current secretary Ken Wai on the shortlist. The NDA argued that Mr Wai was with the department during the trying times and very instrumental in stabilising the health system. His leadership was felt among doctors, health workers, and development partners.
“Continuity in leadership is important at this stage, when the health system is still in recovery process,” NDA said.
NDA said reappointing a former health secretary who served two terms already is contrary to NEC’s own two-term policy outlined in a joint circular memorandum dated January 2, 2025.
The association criticised what it described as a continued pattern of appointing non-health professionals to occupy an highly specialised office.
Very well said and totally agree with the article from NDA..
What difference will we see from someone who has not performed to the expectations of the nation in his 2 years tenure?
Current acting health secretary is doing exceptionally well and needs to be appointed permanently.
He’s also a servant of God, a pastor of a Christian church.
He has been in the field for several decades and knows how to fix the mess previous health secretaries have created. Thanks
It’s irritating to the ears of us the public to hear that a professional health body raises concern over the reappointment of a former health secretary who has dubious tract record. It raises serious concerns on the integrity of the shortlist and appointments process as well as questioning the integrity of the health minister.