Tari Hospital in need of funds

THE security problem at the Tari General Hospital is not about lawlessness.
It was about insufficient funding to the hospital by the provincial and National Governments.
Kikita’s Homaria-Poropaija clan spokesman Jacob Andaija, who owned the land near the hospital, said he supported hospital CEO Dr Bravy Koensong’s plea for K5 million to maintain health operations.
“We are talking about providing health services to about 300,000 people in Hela region,” he added.
Mr Andaija was commenting on the sudden evacuation of the international medical team Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders from Tari two weeks ago following a spate of repeated attacks on their staff, patients and properties allegedly by local drunkard youths.
MSF said they would only return to Tari if the security situation improved.
Mr Andaija said security at the hospital would be a non-issue if the Government provided permanent and constant annual funding to the hospital.