Northern needs new health authority CEO

THE Northern health authority has been operating without a head for the past month.
Dr Duncan Dobunaba, who was appointed as acting chief executive officer last September, left abruptly without informing the staff and other relevant provincial authorities.
Since then, the operations of the authority have been severely impacted and many hospital operations are slowly coming to a stand-still.
There was no one appointed to look after the office and all directors were left in the dark.
Daily operations have been severely affected.
There is difficulty in purchasing fuel for hospital vehicles to pick up staff and patients and fuel for the stand-by generators.
Medical consumable and drugs have run out and there is no way to purchase them.
The authority’s staff living in rented accommodation were threatened to be evicted because of lack of rental payments.
As the designated Section 32 officer, in his absence, there is absolutely no one else to sign on his behalf.
The province has now recorded its three cases of Covid-19 among the authority’s staff. There has been no preparation with regards to the Covid-19.
Although there has been on-going health awareness in the province, there is no infrastructure in place to care for Covid-19 patients.
We do not know if we have personal protective equipment to do our work and care for infected patients.
I am worried that the staff and the public are now left to fend for themselves.
The welfare of my members is paramount, hence, I call upon the Oro health authority board to immediately appoint a permanent chief executive.

Gilford Avenoma,
President,
Allied Health Workers Union