Churches to continue health work

THE nine church health agencies in Southern Highlands will continue working with the new provincial health authority, a spokesperson says.
Catholic health secretary Winnie William said that as partners in the healthcare service delivery, they would continue to support and work with the government.
She was speaking on behalf of the church health agencies at the dedication service for the provincial health authority at Mendi provincial hospital on Wednesday.
The nine churches providing health services in the provinces are the Catholic Church, United Church, Papua New Guinea Bible Church, Evangelical Church of Papua New Guinea, Christian Union, Nazarene Church, Wesleyan Church, Christian Brothers Church and Lutheran Church.
William said over the years, the agencies have been struggling to provide quality healthcare but never gave up but stayed focused on providing the services.
“We have been working together as we have strong established understanding and respect for each other and will continue to share the responsibilities with other partners and the provincial health authority.
“Though we lack logistic support and incentives for rural health workers, we do our best to maintain the provision of healthcare services our pioneer missionaries established in the districts.
“This strong partnership of work must continue to uplift the poor health indicators in the province,” she said. William said a big challenge today was sorcery and everyone must stand united to support people affected by it and provide them with the best treatment.
The chief executive of the provincial health authority, Dr Joseph Birisi, said churches have played a vital role in the past and their work has made work of the authority easier.