Devt plans not achieved

DEVELOPMENT plans set at provincial and national level are not being achieved, a senior Madang public servant said.
Madang deputy administrator (policy and monitoring) Ben Lange told the Momase regional planning and consultative workshop last week that PNG was unlikely to achieve its goals and objectives for major development plans.
Mr Lange said the Health For All by 2000, the National Eight Point Plan, the Medium Term Development Plan and the 2001 National Health Plan were some national policies and plans that did not achieve their aims and objectives.
He said health indicators for PNG were very poor.
He said some of the reasons why the plans had not achieved their purpose were because of lack of proper consultation among all stakeholders, and not recognising the priorities of the people.
Mr Lange said the poor health indicators were made worse by the emergence of new diseases and the reemerging of old ones.
He said the health system was fragmented and not coordinated, there were too many vacant aid posts and the rundown state of the health facilities and hospital, high maternal, infant and child mortality rates, high incidences of TB, malaria and HIV/AIDS, increased lifestyles diseases, poor sanitation and the recent swine flu and cholera outbreak.
Mr Lange said a better health plan for the next 10 years was needed, one that would improve the poor health status.