NEFC must understand service delivery issues: CEO

THE National Economic and Fiscal Commission (NEFC) must understand well the challenges to service delivery and provide quality advice to the Government to make well-informed decisions on improving it, an official says.
NEFC chairman and chief executive officer Patrick Painap said during the launching of its Corporate Plan 2023 – 2027 in Port Moresby on Friday that the primary role of any government was to provide funding to meet the cost of delivering basic services to the people.
“Our main function is to provide independent policy advice to the Government on the distribution of operational (goods and services) grants to the provinces and to local level governments,” he said.
“Our specific functions involve assessing revenues available in the provinces and determining the level of operational grants in the re-current budget to the provinces and local level governments.
“We also monitor and review the operational grants on how provinces spend this funding.
“We conduct a periodic cost of services study to estimate the cost government’s basic service delivery obligations for grant calculation, policy development, and budget purposes.” He said funding was needed to maintain roads and airstrips, distribute school materials, maintain rural health facilities, distribute drugs to health centers and aid posts, train farmers, and provide operational materials to village courts.
“These are examples of essential services that are critical to the livelihoods of Papua New Guineans,” Painap said.