Prof: New lab to help lessons

THE new catheterization laboratory at the Port Moresby General Hospital will boost teaching, learning and research in the field of cardiology, a medical school head says.
Speaking during the opening of the laboratory, the University of Papua New Guinea School of Medicine and Health Science executive dean Prof Nakapi Tefuarani said the facility would assist the school in developing teaching curriculum in the field.
Tefuarani said this was a catalyst to increase speciality training.
He said it would enable the medical graduates and postgraduates to practise what they had learned in school and some would develop an interest to specialise in cardiology and heart disease.
Tefuarani said, however, the medical school was producing, on average, 50 doctors yearly which was not enough for the more than eight million people, and a population that was growing at three per cent.
“We are not producing enough man power,” he said. “We have not trained enough cardiologists from the school and so the need is there.”
He said it was not only the lack of doctors but nurses, medical laboratory scientists, pharmacist, dentists and all the other cadres of health workers.
Tefuarani said training more health workers meant the Government needed to increase the budget for medical schools in the country and build more infrastructure.
“We need to create a standalone medical university,” he said.
He said a standalone university would not only produce the numbers needed but would ensure standardisation of teaching and practices were maintained.
Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Elias Kapavore said the Government had made a decision under the leadership of former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to have a standalone medical university.
“The decision still stand of the NEC still stands today.”