Buka hospital needs service upgrade

LONG-time Buka town resident and owner of Toyana Trading, Greg Wong says the people of Bougainville need to work together in raising the quality of service at Buka General Hospital.
He said this last Friday when donating K18,000 worth of equipment to doctors Joseph Vilosi, Barnabas Matanu, nur­ses association executives and hospital chief executive officer Dr Cyril Imako.
Wong said when the quality of service provided by the hospital improved, there would be no reason for people who could afford outside medical care to seek help elsewhere.
Wong said areas that needed improvement included recruitment of more specialist doctors, availability of special life saving equipment for complex operations and spacious ward facilities with more beds for patients.
“We have some of the smartest people in the country and they have been drafted out to other countries when they should be working here, helping our people.
“But because we are not paying them enough, they have to look for better opportunities.”
He said it was in the best interest of the Bougainville people to look after the hospital, which catered for referrals from North, Central and South Bougainville.
Wong said the responsibility not only lay with the Department of Health and Buka General Hospital but with the Autonomous Bougainville Government, business and local communities.
He hoped the donation of mostly child care medical equipment including infant feeding tubes and mobile pulse oximeters would help the hospital improve its quality of care to the people of Bougainville.
Wong and his wife Patricia donated the life-saving equipment on behalf of donors, Peter Tsiamalili and New Zealand Police.