Western launches PHA

MINSTER for Health and HIV/AIDS Elias Kapavore received the Western Health Authority (WPHA) Act from Daru Hospital during its launch in Daru on Thursday.
“WPHA will absorb all national and provincial health functions in the province under one umbrella,” he said.
The functions include curative and public health services and administrative matters such as management of the payroll for all hospital and provincial health staff.
The declaration of the health authority was received with much enthusiasm in Daru and Kavapore and Western Governor Taboi Awi Yoto signed necessary documents.
Alice Honjepari was appointed acting chief executive officer of the authority.
The province has had chronic health issues such as multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and high infant and maternal mortality.
The latest structural adjustment to the provincial health system brought hope for more improvements to health service delivery.
Meanwhile, Kapavore tasked the health authority (PHA) board to make a submission to the Government for a new hospital for Western.
This task was put to deputy chairman of the board Mereni Maina after the minister made a brief visit to the now Daru Provincial Hospital.
The rest of the management team will be appointed soon.
Kapavore urged the board to put all documentations together for a proposed level-five hospital and convert the Daru Provincial Hospital to South Fly District Hospital.
He said district hospitals in Middle and North Fly districts should be improved and he two rural hospitals along the border of Indonesia and Australia be conceptualised as there was a treaty in place for such health facility to be built there.
“You have to be quick, find the land, put the documentation of the submission together for me to present to National Executive Council for action to take place,” he said.