Govt commits K50mil in ’22 Budget for cancer facilities

WITH 7,000 patients dying of cancer every year, the Government has committed K50 million owed to Port Moresby General Hospital and Angau Hospital in the 2022 Budget for the completion of their new cancer facilities.
Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Rainbo Paita confirmed that the K50 million would be included in the 2022 Budget.
Paita was responding to questions raised by Yangoru-Saussia MP Richard Maru who queried the owing amount.
“The facilities are part of the medium term plan three which was to build two cancer hospitals,” he said.
“Funding was to be provided and both hospitals would have started the new world-class facilities.
“Unfortunately, in the annual budget we are not funding the project when it should be a priority in the health sector.
“Our problem in the country has been we have never built a world-class facility with the equipment and people to treat cancer of all sorts.
“Plans are plans but the biggest challenge is putting funding upfront to start programmes that we had actually planned for.
“Our government has remitted close to K20 million in partnership with National Planning and at the same time our engagement through social community programmes through Kumul Petroleum Holdings as well.
“We have to date released K20million, we have allocated funding for this year under the provincial improvement plan.
“We are committed to retire that outstanding monies and allocate that money too, which has been requested through the Health Department to fund the facilities to completion.”