New hospital board set to work

 THE Goroka Provincial Hospital has been compared to a morgue because it lacks life and action.

Malcolm Kela-Smith, the new chairman of the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority, promises to help it rise from the dead to become one of the best in the country.

“The hospital has been sick and needing surgery,” he said. 

“It has been like a morgue. It needs to be changed and the new Provincial Health Authority board members are here to fix it.” 

He said the board members would inspect every room and cupboard in the hospital and fix everything that needed to be fixed. 

He said the board will inspect rural health facilities in the province.

The Eastern Highlands PHA board members were sworn in at the Goroka hospital.

Kela-Smith was appointed chairman by the National Executive Council to replace David Wong.

Other members sworn in by Goroka District Court Magistrate Gerald Vetunava were Joshua Soso as deputy chairman and community representative, Tau Amevo (business), Nina Giheno (women), Miriam Layton (business), Jackson Apo (district), Elva Lional (health), Elijah Gomae (community) and Japalis Kaiok (church health).

Goroka MP Bire Kimisopa warned Kela-Smith and the board members that they were taking on a huge responsibility during a challenging period when the hospital had gone through one crisis after another.

Outgoing administrator Ken Wai said he had put in place programmes to renovate the hospital building and re-equip sections and work stations.