Absent staff leaves passengers stranded

By LULU MARK
THE absence of Health Department staff responsible for the mandatory Covid-19 screening at the Jackson International Airport terminal in Port Moresby on Saturday morning left about 90 passengers stranded for hours, according to source.
The source, requesting anonymity, told The National that the passengers of the flight PXCO11 from Manila (Philippines), which included two wheelchair-bound patients, had to wait at the arrival lounge for more than three hours (5am-8am) before Health Department staff arrived.
She said according to protocol, the passengers had to undergo necessary Covid-19 checks before proceeding to the normal Immigration, Customs and other clearance at the airport.
She said the issue of Health Department staff not being available at the airport on time had been going on for a while.
“I do not know why they are doing this,” she said.
“The same thing happened to a similar flight from Manila some weeks ago.”
The source said the issue should be addressed as it was causing inconvenience.
Another source informed The National via email that health staff tasked to do Covid-19 screening at the domestic and international terminals were short-term contract staff contracted by the Health Department.
He said the short-term contract staff’s salaries were not paid since last September, resulting in them abandoning their work station.
He said the department was not providing transport for these staff as well.
Attempts to get comments from the Health Department were unsuccessful.
The National Airport Corporation’s is expected to release a statement regarding the matter today.