Kavieng hospital staff continue strike

By ABIGAIL APINA
MEDICAL officers at Kavieng hospital remain on strike after demanding that the hospital’s administration look into certain priority areas.
Spokesman Benny Otoa confirmed yesterday that they had been on strike for the past two weeks.
He said they were not happy with the hospital’s administration for neglecting priority areas in the hospital.
Otoa said recently some administration staff led by their director finance and corporate services Margaret Lukama went on an official trip to Kokopo without considering the staff’s request to allow funds to be available for renovations in the hospital.
He said this triggered off the protest by the staff.
Otoa said there were certain priority areas needing attention such as the theatre which had not been functioning for more than a year.
He said the X-ray room and the theatre had leaking roofs which posed a big problem during heavy rain.
He said the pathology room was also in a very bad condition and needed maintenance.
Otoa said lack of funds was always the excuse for the delay in renovations but no one has ever looked into the allegations of misappropriations of funds.
He said they were planning to lock Lukama out of her office while waiting for investigations to take place.
He added that they had demanded for Lukama to be suspended two weeks ago but nothing had been done.