Work on clinic’s staff accommodation starts

 STAFF of the Tokarara clinic in the National Capital District (NCD) will soon be accommodated following the ground breaking ceremony of a two by two residential duplex project next to the facility yesterday. 

The project was funded by Moresby North West MP and Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Michael Malabag at a cost of K500,000 from the DSIP (district services  improvement programme) funds.

Laba Construction has been awarded the contract and will start work immediately.

Malabag acknowledged the lack of accommodation for health workers as a pressing issue and gave assurance that he would try to address it. 

He said when workers were accommodated they felt safe and secured and would give their best (services) to the people.

“Accommodation is very important and I have been fighting for this even when I was the president of PEA (public employees association),” he said.

“The government has given so much to members of parliament, K10 million, and 20% of that must go back to health.”

“Everybody must benefit from what the government has given.”

The minister called on the Health Department to take charge of the project as well because it was an ongoing problem that should have been dealt with in the past. 

He commended the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) church for managing the facility well since its reopening in 2009.

The project is a result of a meeting between the minister and the staff and management of the clinic last September.

Certain issues and grievances were raised during that meeting in relation to health service delivery at the clinic. 

SDA president of the central Papua conference Pastor Tony Kemo highlighted the need for the staff accommodation and requested in writing to Malabag and he responded seven months later.

NCD health services adviser Dr Gary Ou’u told Malabag that they not only looked after the city’s people but people from Central and Gulf.

He said NCD deserved the best facilities because they were serving people from all over PNG. 

“Health services were brought in by the churches and it should be given back to the churches,” he said. 

Ou’u added that NCD health services had a total of 218 staff but needed 700 and a funding of K8 million.