POMGH recounts years of difficulties

LACK of timely funding for the efficient operation of the Port Moresby General Hospital’s essential services has been highlighted as the core problem in 2007 and last year, according to the annual reports for those years.
Chairman of the hospital board of management Sir Brian Bell said yesterday that the ongoing manpower shortages and the rapid expansion of the city’s population was a strain on the hospital’s limited resources.
“The disparity in the hospital’s capacity to fulfil its primary role for tertiary health care, providing training facilities for the whole country, is further overburdened by the hospital’s geographic proximity to Central and Gulf provinces – where there are no hospitals,” Sir Brian said.
He said the reason the 2007 report was not presented then was due to the non-appointment of a new full board of management and so was withheld until now, whereas last year’s report was completed in May this year.
He pointed out that the budget for the hospital care provided very little for the patients.
“The hospital’s total bed capacity is 837. With two meals a day, it costs us around K6,000 a day.
“And we are feeding the guardians as well,” Sir Brian said.
He, however, said these were not just the negative views.
The hospital’s success stories include the annual Operation Open Heart, the 50th celebrations of the hospital which included awards of recognition of services to the staff and a new organisational structure.
The reports basically cover the different departments at the hospital from management, medical and nursing services and finance and administration.
It also covers areas in HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STI), heart-related diseases and others.
The two annual reports were then presented to secretary of Health Dr Clement Malau by Sir Brian during the opening of the 2nd Papua New Guinea National Health Week, Open Day celebrations, yesterday.
The Port Moresby General Hospital is celebrating the health week with an open day to allow public to have access to free medical checkups.
Its acting chief executive officer, Dr Simon Mete, said at the health week opening ceremony yesterday that the event coincided with the presentation of the annual reports.