Health impasse endangers lives

 THE owners of the land on which the Goroka Hospital is built have called on striking staff, including doctors and nurses, to resolve their differences with the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority.

The workers and the authority have been at loggerheads over conditions for some time now and has seen a stand-off that has resulted in the withdrawal of healthcare services for the past three weeks.

The people of Kama, through their leaders, have taken an unprecedented move by offering to mediate between the two parties in order to have the hospital fully operational again.

They have a genuine concern and feel compelled to act in the interest of the people of Goroka and Eastern Highlands.

This is not just a matter for workplace arbitration but one that speaks to a more pressing need – the longer the hospital stays closed with no health workers available to treat the daily needs of the community the worse the situation will be for them.

Tribal spokesman Joshua Soso was more frank with his call for the province’s health administration and hospital workers to come to a solution to avoid unnecessary problems.

“Enough is enough, we must not continue to put people’s lives at risk, politicians from Eastern Highlands remain silent except Governor Julie Soso who attended to them last Friday, they have nothing to lose but the ones really affected are the sick patients,” Soso said.

The question that needs to be asked here is why are the sick and infirm being put at risk by what is in essence a workplace related issue that can and should be handled at the negotiating table or through some other equally appropriate means that does not involve strike action or the removal and/or scaling back of health services, which are so vital to people.

If this is a question of conditions and claims by staff at the hospital or the lack of attention they are receiving on these matters then surely they have recourse to union action that will not significantly affect innocent people.

The province’s health authority must tread carefully here. They have a duty to ensure that public health is not jeopardised.

One hopes the two parties are not stubbornly holding out and waiting for one side to give in. That would be the height of irresponsibility.

That would mean they were playing with the lives of the people who depend wholly on this service. ‘

The number of private healthcare providers in Go­roka and the province for that matter cannot cater for the population and the service that the church may provide would be stretched way past breaking point. 

This is a man-made disaster in the making. Surely common sense will prevail and both parties can reach an agreement that is fair and benefits everyone. 

Health Minister Michael Malabag and the province’s MPs should intervene.

Malabag has acknowledged the situation and is hopefully working behind the scenes to bring back normalcy. 

It says a lot about the way the situation is being handled when the locals raise their concerns and try to help resolve it.

This is not their problem to solve but they know as well as anyone that if no one does anything then they will more than likely be the ones who suffer for it.

Malabag, Governor Soso, all Eastern Highlands MPs and even those from neighbouring provinces should take more than a passing interest in this stand-off as it would undoubtedly affect anyone who passes through Goroka for business, school or to visit relatives.

The next week should see Malabag and his secretary make an effort to have Goroka Hospital reopened and serving the people.

The Kama landowners have taken the initiative to become the arbiter/peacemaker in the middle of this. 

That is commendable but more importantly their actions have served to show up the state and the provincial authority by appealing to the greater good.

The challenge now is on Malabag and his departmental heads to address the situation by whatever means necessary and to take the leading role in giving back to the people what they have been missing over the past few weeks.