Zibe vows to reopen Sopas

By JUNIOR UKAHA
HEALTH Minister Sasa Zibe has pledged to reopen the run-down Sopas Hospital in Wabag, Enga, by the end of this year.
Zibe said yesterday the hospital was known for its reliable and quality services and “it is only in the best interest of health service delivery that the facility be reopened for the public there to use”.
“Sopas hospital was  recognised for its effective delivery to the community and the role it played in building the health workforce by training nurses and community health workers,” he said.
“The National Department of Health, in recognising its work in health service delivery, has captured the reopening of Sopas Hospital in the National Health Plan 2011-2020,” he said.
Zibe said he would meet with the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) mission head in the country, the provincial government and other stakeholders to get involved and look at ways to reopen the facility.
Zibe said 11 years was a long time and the facility “needs to be revived so that people can access basic health care services and health workers can be trained again at Sopas Hospital”.
He said the national government had recognised the importance of health service delivery and had committed K14.1 billion to the health sector for the next 10 years.
Zibe said K1 billion would be released each year to run all hospitals in the country.
He said with the money, “Sopas is one of the priority hospitals that will be revived for the people of Enga and surrounding areas to use”.
Sopas Hospital chairman Sopas Tambon commended Zibe for his commitment to reopen the facility.
Tombon said the people of Enga had suffered since the hospital’s closure some years back.