SHP aims to improve health and education

By YVONNE HAIP
THE Southern Highlands administration aims to standardise its health and education sector.
Deputy administrator Dr Bravy Koensong said from Mendi this would be in support of the O’Neill government’s free health and education policy and Vision 2050.He said the administration had documented a minimum standard requirement draft that would support the provincial development master plan.He said K25 million was needed to implement that and the money would be sourced from donors and the provincial government.Koensong said they would be focused on standardising the two sectors so there was an equal distribution of services to the rural majority.If implemented, the province will be the first in the country to introduce the method.
“We have visualised how we will fit it in like a jigsaw puzzle with the master plan and see it as the best direction for Papua New Guinea because services will be distributed equally,” he said.
“We will be piloting it in Southern Highlands and if it works positively, it can be implemented in less developed provinces in the country,” he said.“This will complement the plan at a price but in the long run, will cost little in maintaining,” he said.He said the province had seen little progress over the years and “it is time changes are made to benefit the rural poor”.He said too many paper politicians had forced the people at the community level to be deprived of basic services.“But with new leaders in the province, the administration is looking forward to working with them and implement the plans in place,” he said.
Koensong wants to see “value for the people’s money” so that the services reaching the people are durable and fairly distributed.He said development partners were interested in developing the province and see it change for the better.