Secretary applauds health care policy

 HEALTH Secretary Pascoe Kase says the implementation of free primary health care and subsidised specialist services since 2014 is an historic policy initiative.

He told the Christian Health Services annual conference in Port Moresby that it was an important step in achieving universal health coverage.

“Funding allocations have been made by Government and we need to continue to ensure they were accessed by facilities in a timely manner,” he said. 

“This was a key message delivered as part of our 2015 budget submission.”  

Kase said the health services must ensure that the user-fee charges should not prevent the poorest people from enjoying the right to access basic health services.

“At the national level, we are discussing health financing option,” he said. 

“I encourage everyone to be ambitious in thinking about how we could deliver Government’s commitment to achieving equitable access to services as we push to achieving health coverage for all.” 

He said health care fees from Level One to Level Four facilities must not be charged.

“Even though the promised K20 million was not released yet, services must still be provided free of charge,” Kase said. 

He said this was because the money for operations had already been made available to churches and government-run health facilities through health operations and functions grants.

Kase said the salaries of health workers had been paid for already plus medicines supplied through the health centres and aid posts kits.

“Free health care is a Government policy and therefore must be implemented,” he said.

“Implementing the policy is the desire of Government and every church and government hospital in the country must fulfil it.”

Kase said the government would like to see the policy being implemented.