Hospital to disperse powers

 SICK people from the rural areas of Western Highlands will only be treated at the Mt Hagen Provincial Hospital if they are referred there by health authorities.

This is to avoid overcrowding at the hospital’s Outpatients Department and stop people from risking their lives travelling to Mt Hagen, which can be very expensive.

Chief executive officer of the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority Dr James Kintwa told hospital employees recently that it was one of the changes to be implemented this year.

He said basic medical and surgical services would be decentralised to the rural health centres so that they were accessed by rural people.

Kintwa said basic maintenance had been carried out at most of the rural facilities. 

They have been stocked with necessary medical equipment and drugs. 

More medical equipment should arrive soon for the rural health facilities.

He urged staff in those facilities to remain in their posts and provide the services required by the people.

He said rural health facilities had been allocated funding in the 2014 budget and urged managers to account for the funds.

Kintwa warned that if the funds were spent before the end of the financial year, no more funding would be made available.

The authority recently installed the provincial government accounting system which would enable it to print cheques instead of having to wait for the Provincial Treasury Office.