Western Highlands Health Authority in limbo

The Western Provincial Health Authority (WPHA) clinical staff and the beneficiaries comprising local communities have given a 7-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Health yesterday to remove the current PHA management team.

Mt Hagen City . Photo by ONEPNG.com 

The petition states: “There is a serious breach in the guidelines, regulations and laws surrounding the conduct of the state business affairs that is servicing the interest of the publics, leading to mismanagement, misappropriation and undermining of qualified competent staff in pursuit of nepotism and greed for power.”

We want to help restore good governance and confidence in the health care services,” spokesperson and the WPHA Health Workers President John Baira said.

“A detailed statement has forced the health ministry to answer favorably to their petition, otherwise it would result in a mass resignation of their staff within 7 days as of the notice,” Baira claimed.

Baira claimed the WPHA is coupled with many poor leadership and management issues and that it should be rectified for health care workers to enjoy serving as it used to be.

The interim board has discussed and petitioned on the points:

• ·         Poor leadership and management;
• 
  
• ·         Chief Executive Officer (CEO) poor performance and incompetency;
• 
  
• ·         Lack of due processes in the appointment of directors;
• 
  
• ·         WPHA administration office located at unauthorized zone;
• 
  
• ·         Declining and breakdown of clinical services;
• 
  
• ·         No level 5 Provincial Hospital for Western Province;
• 
  
• ·         No rural outreach and supervision by clinical team;
• 
  
• ·         High referral of patients to Port Moresby General Hospital with high cost;
• 
  
• ·         Continuous stock out of essential drugs;
• 
  
• ·         Continuous stock out of office stationeries for clinical data;
• 
  
• ·         No transport for doctors on call;
• 
  
• ·         Increase death rates with morgue over packed;
• 
  
• ·         Lack of Financial Delegation and micromanagement;
• 
  
• ·         Premature termination of contract with dubious payment on rental property;
• 
  
• ·         Disappointment over WHPA structure;
• 
  
• ·         Nepotism and favoritism;
• 
  
• ·         Overstepping in roles and responsibilities of sanctioned and designated officers;
• 
  
• ·         Fallen staff unfairly treated;
• 
  
• ·         No transport for staff and patient when ambulance breakdown;
• 
  
• ·         Staff outstanding dues of allowances and salaries not paid;
• 
  
• ·         Alesco Payroll should be running from Daru;
• 
  
• ·         Lack of Capacity Building;
• 
  
• ·         Double dipping into perks and privileges by the management;
• 
  
• ·         Unpaid allowances and salaries;
• 
  
• ·         Casuals’ salary must be paid on time on Wednesday;
• 
  
• ·         Senior Contract officer’s contracts and contractual allowance not paid;
• 
  
• ·         Amalgamate or merge and transfer of employees’ files;

The petition recommended that:

• ·         The CEO and the management be suspended;
• 
  
• ·         Immediate appointment of an acting administration as caretaker and;
• 
  
• ·         Start a comprehensive investigation on the administration and its governance.

The team leader, Baira said the core business of the patient care be refocused and restored.

“There are serious problems. The result is total disarray demoralization of declining service delivery in the Western Province. This is actually running down our patience and we are opting to take up strike actions,” he said.

Ends

Next : Kina Bank Sets K50 Million Aside for PNG SME Loans at 4 percent