Public health issues need to be addressed

NO private company’s secretary or CEO would survive a month let alone five months if it runs out of essential spare parts or critical goods for that long.
Ordering key stocks in economic order quantities is an age-old stock control system taking into account the minimum and maximum requirements in ensuring steady supplies.
And on top of that, an emergency stock level is also maintained as an extra measure to ensure uninterrupted service or productivity.
The Borneo Pharmaceuticals contract fiasco is a national disgrace given the fragile and dire state of our public health system.
The health secretary should thank the public health regime and Government that he can still collect his salary and enjoy his perks and privileges while keeping his head in the sand amid the medicine and life-saving drugs shortage saga.
Has he ever brought himself down to at least see for himself what some of his own doctors and staff describe as shortage of drugs and medicines or simply continued to remain reliant on some “expert advice”.
Thanks to the privileges of the old boy’s network, government CEOs seem to be immune from any censure for non-performance.
Instead, they are simply given another department to “improve” its performance and productivity.
He seems to have an arsenal of stock replies about what the general public see and actually experience as a national crisis and disgrace.
Misima General Hospital was reported only recently as turning away patients due to the shortage of medicines.
We can all expect the health secretary to again refute the hospital’s claim or report just as he has done so over the past several months over similar reports and public outcry.
There is no such thing as lack of planning. One simply planned to procrastinate, do the opposite, ignore or do nothing.
Let us just hope that the new government after the elections will be more serious in address thing perennial public health issue of medicine shortages and lack of life-saving equipment and save hundreds if not thousands of our productive and much-needed human resources from premature death.

BT,
Port Moresby