Govt urged to involve church

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday, May 19, 2011

By ALISON ANIS
THE government needs to work in partnership with the churches and other relevant authorities in successfully implementing health policy and guidelines, health secretary Dr Clement Malau says.
He acknowledged the churches’ role in implementing health services in the country, saying the partnership with the churches in PNG was critical to realising the national health plans.
“Partnership with the churches is important in implementing health policy,” he said.
“We acknowledge this is not a job for health department alone and that working in partnership with relevant authorities like churches is what we need in making the health system work,” Malau said at the 43rd annual conference of Churches’ Medical Council.
He said the department was looking to see how churches could be represented meaningfully on the single health authority system proposed under the national health plan.
Malau said the single health authority would replace the current system that operated in line with the organic law on provincial government and local level government.
He said having a single authority was good and would prove effective rather than a fragmented health system with undefined responsibilities.
Malau said the government was looking at ensuring equity and access to health services for all citizens.