Provincial hospital to get upgrade

GOROKA Hospital will be the Highlands regional hospital, Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Elias Kapavore says.
Kapavore told The National that Goroka Hospital, which had been rebuilt at a cost of K200 million, would see it upgraded to the region’s top health facility.
Kapavore said Goroka was centrally located with the Medical Research Institute, the Highlands Regional Nursing School and the University of Goroka in the Eastern Highlands capital.
“As the new diagnostic centre, Goroka has seven fully-equipped operating theatres that are at international standard and second to none in the country,” he said.
“We have the kind of facilities that are similar to those in many developed nations but the problem is the workforce required.”
Kapavore said he would instruct the Health secretary and the clinical chiefs to travel to Goroka and see the facilities to make arrangements to utilise them. “Mt Hagen Hospital, which was once the Highlands regional hospital, has issues with its operating theatre,” he said.
“We have many patients waiting in Port Moresby General Hospital while we have some of the best facilities that are idle in Goroka,” he said.
Kapavore said the Health Department would sign a memorandum of understand (MoU) with the Eastern Highlands health authority for patients from other provinces to travel to Goroka to access their facilities.
“We must make these types of facilities available to everyone and make arrangements to cater for patients coming from other provinces to receive treatment in Goroka.
“There is no need for people to travel to Singapore and other overseas countries to receive these kinds of treatment when we have the facilities here in the country.
“There are a lot of highly trained specialists that can utilise these facilities to deliver the services.”