Improve terms, conditions of medical officers to retain doctors: MP

THE terms and conditions of employment of medical officers should be reviewed and improved to retain doctors in the public health system, an official says.
Tewae-Siassi MP Dr Kobby Bomareo said many doctors were leaving for the private sector because of poor terms and conditions.
He made the statement following the presentation of the Medical Registration Amendment Bill 2021 in Parliament yesterday which allows for medical doctors who graduate from Divine Word University (DWU) and any other universities in future to be registered.
“It’s a long overdue amendment as there are not many medical doctors in Papua New Guinea,” he said.
“This Government is looking at one district one rural hospital and it’s about time that we support this so in five to 10 years’ time at least there is a doctor in a rural hospital.
“When implementing this law is that before the graduates come out of university their terms and conditions must be considered.
“This is very important to retain them in the public system or else we will lose one or two important doctors every now and then.”
Bomareo highlighted the need to maintain standards in different institutions, not with the curriculum but in terms of examinations that would qualify them to practise.
“We also need to look at improving infant and maternal mortality, hence, the nursing schools, including community health workers training schools should consider standardised paediatric and midwifery programmes.”