By LUTHER SCAT LAMANG
The relocation of a major referral hospital in the New Guinea Islands is still being held up due to the absence of a technical task force to spearhead the works.
Nonga General Hospital in Rabaul, East New Britain, has not been relocated as yet despite the provincial government’s decision in 2001 to relocate its facilities.
East New Britain health adviser Bernard Lukara said the Department of Health was responsible in setting up the task force to work closely with the East New Britain provincial authorities to implement the project.
The relocation exercise was planned because of the ongoing destruction caused to the hospital’s facilities by the continuing volcanic ash falls from Tavurvur.
Mr Lukara said the hospital was not providing the services expected of a referral hospital because equipment that normally use the air conditioning system such as the mortuary and the operating theatre were often malfunctioning due to ash emissions from the volcano.
He said Nonga hospital was a regional refferal hospital meaning it was the responsibility of the Department of Health but since there was no clear positive response since 1994, the provincial government had the interest to relocate is to an area in the Central Gazelle.
Mr Lukara said the hospital would still continue to serve its purpose as a major referral hospital for specialist treatment after its relocation but it was the responsibility of the task force to determine its later functions.
The provincial government has approved K9 million from its 2006/2007 supplementary budget from the hospitals relocation works.
Mr Lukara said only when the task force was set up would the project be given the nod to move forward.