SHP able to provide for doctors with support from PRK

The National National
Petroleum Resource Kutubu Limited board director Abraham Murape, chairman John Kapi Nato, Southern Highlands Health Authority chief executive officer Dr Joseph Birisi and Mark Sakai, a board director, during a cheque presentation in Port Moresby. – Nationalpic by KENNEDY BANI

By KELVIN JOE
THE Southern Highlands Health Authority (SHPHA) will be able to invest and provide more initiatives for doctors’ welfare thanks to continuous support from landowner company Petroleum Resource Kutubu (PRK) Ltd.
SHPHA chief executive officer Dr Joseph Birisi said this after PRK presented K1 million to SHPHA in Port Moresby yesterday to boost and support the delivery of health services in the province.
“Southern Highlands has encountered immense challenges following the 2017 and 2022 national elections where it was not easy to keep our health sector professionals, especially the doctors, so we have been requesting the board (PRK) on many occasions for assistance,” Birisi said.
“I thank PRK on behalf of SHPHA board and management for this big and timely support.
“Our cry and prayers have been finally answered.
“This funding will go towards doctors’ initiatives to keep them and to continue serving the province as we have 30 doctors despite all the challenges (law and order issues).
‘It was not an easy task to keep them (health workers), especially when the situation was compromised but we did our best and continued to support them in the past few years so that health services continued flowing normally.
“We will use this funding to retain our doctors currently serving in the province and send some of them to work at the district hospitals.”
Birisi said there were at least 10 specialist doctors such as eye specialist and dentist with the district hospitals operating at its expected level-four standard, unlike in the past.
PRK chairman John Kapi Nato said the company had the obligation to the people of Southern Highlands.
Nato said PRK continued to support the health sector in the province, Gulf and Hela, over the years.
“My board has been supportive not only in health but also in education in the project areas and others.
“We have been supporting sports in many ways to give back to the country,” Nato said.
“We will continue to support the Mendi General Hospital as we did in the past because health is a very important aspect of our people’s lives.”
Nato urged the SHPHA to distribute health workers and medications throughout the province.