Soso reaffirms support for EHP health division

 By ZACHERY PER

THE Eastern Highlands provincial health authority (PHA) board has hailed Governor Julie Soso’s strong support for the health sector in the province.

PHA board chairman David Wong commended Soso during a consultative meeting on Monday, saying the governor had provided K1 million for the labour ward, K600,000 for the cancer unit at the Goroka Base Hopital and committed K5 million to other health projects and services, including a housing scheme for medical officers and a family support centre.

Wong presented a comprehensive report on the authority to Soso that reaffirmed her support for the development of health services in the province.

Soso reassured the PHA board that she would continue to support them in their pursuit to develop health services in the eight districts of Eastern Highlands.

She said health services in the province were the best in the country some years ago but that was not the case at present and the authority had to strive to improve that.

“We must focus on restoration through transformation through unity because there is so much money coming into the districts for health services and they should closely monitor expenditure benefit the people,” she said.

The governor said she would allocate K1 million to upgrade the Kassam health centre to hospital status with the assistance of the Health Department and Obura-Wonenara MP Merrah Minne Kipefa but the project would need additional funding ofabout K10 million.

Soso said her proposal to set up a cancer unit for women should be pursued by the PHA to provide the facility.

Meanwhile, acting provincial administrator Bill Kavanamur called for closer monitoring of a K1 million funding for district health services held in the district services improvement programme.