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By JAMES KILA
HEALTH and HIV/AIDS Minister Sasa Zibe heaped praise on the Eastern
Highlands provincial health authorities for being the first in the
country to adopt the recently passed Provincial Health Authority Act
(2007).
Mr Zibe was in Goroka on Monday to address a meeting of the provincial
health authorities to streamline the health services board into one
unified body in the province.
The meeting was attended by Eastern Highlands Governor Malcolm Kela-Smith,
provincial administrator Munare Uyassi, provincial health adviser Ben
Haili, Goroka Hospital Board chairman David Wong, hospital CEO Dr Joseph
Apa and health administration staff.
Mr Zibe said health services in the country and in EHP was divided.
Previously, there were two health boards governing the delivery of
health services to the people across the country, including EHP.
These boards included the Hospital Board of Management established under
the Public Hospital Management Act (1994) and the Provincial Health
Board, which was established under the Provincial Health Administration
Act of 1997.
The meeting in Goroka highlighted several major problems relating to the
dual health delivery system, which it stated created problems and in
certain areas impedes the flow of services to the bulk of the
population.
Furthermore, it was also stated that available resources was not
appropriately utilised, staff discipline became a stumbling block and
impedes services delivery, financial resources and administrative
process in obtaining finance to implement programmes become difficult
with the current system in place and public health service provision
were quite poor.
Mr Zibe indicated that the strong policy direction for the National
Department of Health was to address the fragmentation.
He said to give effect to this policy, a Bill had been drafted to
reunite health services delivery in the provinces of the country, where
a decision had been made to enter into a provincial health partnership
agreement.
 
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