New health appointments give Hela a new lease on life

The National Highlands

The Hela Provincial Health Authority (PHA) board has appointed Dr James Kintwa as its acting chief executive.
At the same time the PHA has welcomed Dr Anthony Wal as the director of curative services and engaged seven new doctors with skills across a broad range of fields in medicine.
Until recently the PHA was relying on volunteer doctors to provide essential health services to a population of over 300,000 people.
Hela PHA chairman Peter Botten said that the board was very pleased with the progress they were making in building a highly skilled team to help develop health services in the province.
“It was only 18 months ago that we were facing a crisis situation where we had no executive team, no systems and only one government-funded medical officer. After a short period of time we now have a highly capable executive team, strong governance systems and seven doctors funded from within PNG government systems including two female doctors. This is a great outcome for the people of Hela,” Botten said.
He thanked Dr Robert Paralu who was the lone doctor at Tari for many months until others arrived to provide much-needed support.
In order to attract professionals to Hela, the Oil Search Foundation, working in partnership with the PHA, is funding various incentive packages, including a six-monthly cash bonus, opportunities for overseas training and conferences and other benefits tailored to individual requirements.
The Hela PHA team is also determined to provide a positive and fun working environment so that people enjoy their work and
have opportunities for social engagement.
Gynaecologist Dr Lissing Hames said that it has been a privilege to work at the Hela Provincial Hospital where “there is a positive team-based approach, great support and the opportunity to learn and develop new skills”.
“The new acting CEO, Dr Kintwa brings a wealth of health and leadership experience to Hela. Previously the CEO of the Mt Hagen General Hospital, Dr Kintwa understands the challenges and opportunities in delivering health services across an entire province and has the experience to further develop Hela’s newly-created PHA.
“I am determined to ensure that we effectively roll out the PHA in the new province of Hela.  We will greatly benefit from a strong board, committed staff and dedicated partners such as Oil Search and the Oil Search Foundation. This is a powerful combination.”