Hospital told to address issues

By HELEN TARAWA
THE Kundiawa hospital board and management have been told to address management issues as they prepare for the establishment of the Chimbu health authority.
Health secretary Pascoe Kase made the call following the suspension and then reinstatement of Kundiawa Hospital chief executive Dr Harry Poka.
Kase, who met with the hospital board and management in Port Moresby on Friday, said he was advised by board chairman Simon Kewandi that the suspension of Dr Poka was lifted.
“I met the hospital board chairman and a number of his members and the provincial administrator last week,” he said.
“I was advised by the board chairman, in the presence of Dr Poka and the provincial administrator, that the suspension was lifted.
“I advised them that PHA is going to Chimbu and we require stability in the management before the movement to PHA,” Kase said.
Kase told The National that Kundiawa was one of the better managed hospitals in the country because of a good board, good CEO and management team.
“I advised them that the alleged issues are management issues that an instruction from the board to the CEO can adequately address them.
“All is good now at the hospital. A team from the department will visit the province this week to prepare the province for the PHA establishment,” Kase said.
Kewandi said the board had noticed some irregularities in the hospital management and had written to him several times to take action but he had failed to do so.
“The board term is about to expire and if we did not correct the issue it would be prolonged and affect the hospital.
‘The provincial administrator Michael Temai and Governor Michael Dua intervened so we revoked the decision. We conditioned him to carry out three tasks, first to sideline the executive officer, dissolve the special projects committee and remove the additional security guards that were recruited.
“Kase advised us that it was purely an administrative matter and it should be left to the CEO to address.
“He is still the CEO now,” Kewandi said.
Dr Poka confirmed that he was suspended over the failure to address some administrative matters.