Hospital under authority

Health Watch
  • AN agreement to transfer the administrative and financial responsibilities of the Paiam District Hospital in Porgera to the Enga Health Authority has been signed by stakeholders of the Porgera mine project.
    The stakeholders are the Health Department, provincial government, Porgera Development Authority and the Porgera Landowners Association.
    The signing of the agreement means that the provincial health authority will be fully responsible for the funding and management of the hospital.
    Since the hospital was built under the Porgera mine tax credit scheme in 1998, the sustainability of the hospital had been managed on an ad-hoc basis especially in terms of funding.
    Stakeholders agreed that the transfer would promote an efficient provision of health services to the people in the district, Porgera and Enga. The stakeholders agreed to enter into an arrangement where each of them will perform a role to achieve full transition.
    These roles include:
  •  The PHA board to govern the hospital;
  • the hospital to have a non-remunerated committee that will report to the board on the operation of the hospital;
  •  the provincial government and health authority to provide funding during this period;
  •  the landowner association to work with the Government, provincial government and the development authority to ensure there is no disruption to service delivery by the hospital; and,
  •  The development authority to pay any outstanding fees, allowances and entitlements for the employees of the hospital that may be owed to them for maintaining services during the transition period.