Lifestyle disease a threat, says Malabag

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By GYNNIE KERO
LIVESTYLE diseases are a threat to this country and people need to go for medical tests, according to Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Michael Malabag.
Speaking at the opening of a K5 million pathology laboratory at Taurama, Port Moresby yesterday, Malabag thanked the company, IMP, for the facility.
He said that most lab tests not performed in the country were outsourced to Australia or Singapore.
It is understood that there are a limited number of tests done in the country and the turnaround time is much longer.
The new private lab will address these two issues.
Malabag said the IMP lab was set up with compliance to the country’s regulatory and quality standards.
“With its (IMP) locality and facilities, medical checkup packages will be made more accessible and affordable to all categories of the population.
“Currently, many provinces do not perform laboratory tests because of lack of equipment and qualified staff.
“We (Health Department) are in arrangement with seven provinces to perform their laboratory tests,” Malabag said.
IMP director Martin Poh said, the lab was one of the very specific clinical laboratories in the country performing pathology tests in the fields of clinical, pathology, haematology, microbiology, immunology and serology.
“All tests available will be performed by qualified professionals.”
Meanwhile, Malabag told those who gathered at the occasion yesterday that he would bring two new bills to parliament in the January sitting.
He said these would be the Private Practitioners and Specialist Hospitals bills.