Appointment of chairman queried

The National Main Stories

By REBECCA KUKU
THE Public Accounts Committee yesterday queried the appointment as board chairman of a hospital the chairman-owner of a company supplying medicine to the Health Department.
Committee chairman Sir John Pundari during the inquiry into the procurement, supply and distribution of medicines said it was a “conflict of interest” to appoint Sir Martin Poh as chairman of the Gerehu Provincial Hospital, while he was chairman of Borneo Pacific Pharmaceutical, a major supplier of medicines to the Government.
Sir John told the department and the hospital management to explain what criteria was used to appoint the hospital’s board chairman.
Hospital chief executive officer Dr Steven Yeni told the inquiry that Cabinet had decided in 2014 to upgrade the Gerehu clinic to a provincial hospital. This was not implemented until 2017.
“In 2017, the board chairman was Peter Del Monte from Brian Bell. But his appointment was later revoked and Sir Martin Poh was appointed by then Health Minister Michael Malabag as the board chairman.”
Sir John then questioned Health Secretary Pascoe Kase why Del Monte was replaced by Sir Martin and what was the criteria used.
Kase said he would have to check with his technical team. Sir John said it was a conflict of interest as Sir Martin was one of the Health Department’s major supplier of medicines and pharmaceutical drugs.

12 comments

  • Sir John, once you identified that there’s something going wrong. The step that you can apply is simply remove them and replace new one. Identifying and inquiring bit of information gonna take time. Terminate from secretary down the line and replace with new one. Simply remove from their duties. The more have mercy on them then more corruption will be faced in Health department.

  • Sir, JP thankyou for the wonderful job you have done so far with the investigation of Health department.

    Sir, be reminded that the health Secretary with his corrupt officials have been playing around with your loved ones life back in your community including rest of PNG for quite along time now. Now that you have uncover their dirty dealings, replace them promptly and have them behind bars.

    Remember those who lost their lives with those curable disease some years back leaving their siblings behind without support, to fen for themselves. The situation they face is permanent. Can you imagine infants who are now growing up without their parents. If this questions trouble you Sir, with respect have this Secretary behind bars

  • Poiya, give advise but Sir already knows what to do, what you could have said and now I supporting in saying is, once the illegal activity has been discovered to some length and sir John has credible data, he can suggest Police Squad can immediately act right away. Haus man istap wantaim sop wara. Pascoe should be the first one to go na wokim pati wantaim brata bilong em Paul Tienstin, Dr. Theo, na ol arapela saveman and lida man.

    This is a lesson for the National Executive council to leave a Secretary of Department for more than two terms. Pascoe has been there longer enabling him to leave and organised corruption in the Health Department had not been for the National Doctors Association to stand against that huge scandal and ensured there was justice.

    Sir John, it seems many personnel mentioned and involved seem to be from our land up in the mountain. Sore liklik na luksave long wanpisin bai stap o, election kam klostu nambaut ya tu na. Bai yu nilim ol gut stret, ah? Bikos, kain nem olsem Puli and Dopsie em nem bilong yumi Wabaga yah!!!

    Papua New Guinea is waiting to see through till the end result.

  • This is a national disgrace! Alot of innocent lives have been lost because of Pascoe and his cronies. They now have the blood of the dead on their hands. How can a Medical practitioner like Pascoe murder when he should be saving lives? Again, it was for the money. It was for him and his cronies to get fitly rich overnight, send their children to Australia, eat at five star hotels and go on fancy holidays around the glob at the expense of a dying Papua New Guinean. Shame on yous!!
    We should take our hats off to Sir JP and Rt Hon. Vocal Governor- Garry Juffa for unearthing this two – faced criminals. They deserve to rot in Bomana CS for a very long time. Our country deserves better and I believe with the PAC in place, many more inquiries could be made to also uncover other Statutory and Private organizations that have for many years being stealing with little to nothing being done about it.
    Its now time for us all to unite with the Sam Koim’s, Garry Juffa’s, John Pundari’s and BK’s to once and for all weed out corruption from our land.
    We deserve better. You can make a positive difference now. let’s take back PNG for the better. May God bless PNG.

  • Seems like the Technical Team has all the answers, can the Technical Team be called up to give answers there and then? Corruption in it’s full effect before our eyes! Looking forward to seeing what the recommendations will be for all these scum.

  • All these people named by the PAC in this corruption must be paraded in public for the everybody to avenge their fury on them.

  • Some secrecy between Michael and Martin…perhaps “QUID PRO QUO”. “SIR” Martin??? How, When, Why?

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