Hospitals needed: Molumi

THE lack of established hospitals in the National Capital District and Central is leading to overcrowding and shortage of medicine at the Port Moresby General Hospital, acting CEO Dr Paki Molumi says.
Molumi said Port Moresby General Hospital was a level seven national referral hospital.
But he said due to NCD and Central not having any district, provincial or regional hospitals, the hospital had to cater for that vacuum in order to save lives.
“Central does not have a provincial hospital and all its patients come to Port Moresby General Hospital, including some from the Gulf,” he said
“This is why there is overcrowding and shortage of beds.”
“NCD and Central has to have its own patient referral pathway in place, they must have district, provincial and a regional hospital.
“So that only the most serious cases which cannot be treated at level four, five and six can be sent to Port Moresby General Hospital.”
Molumi said due to the large number of patients the hospital had faced medicine shortages, but used its own operational fees to purchase drugs.
He said the hospital had used about K3 million of its operational funds to purchase medicine this year.
“We get supplies from the area medical store but when there are shortages, we use operational funds.”