By Adelaide Kari – EM TV News, Port Moresby
The Six Mile Health Clinic in Port Moresby on Monday had angry, sick patients queuing up since the early hours of the morning, waiting for the clinic to open.
The clinic is the second largest in Port Moresby, after the Port Moresby General Hospital.
NCD Health Service has said that the closure of the clinic today was unauthorised.
They were told that due to the shortage of staff the clinic would not be open and those needing assistance were to go to the second nearest clinic, Gordon’s.
Those who did go to Gordon’s found it to be closed, with patients from there being sent to Six Mile.
Patients and caretakers who lined up told EMTV News that this was an ongoing issue of the clinic closing every now and then.
Allan Benny expressed his anger saying that public servants who provide health care services should come to work, since they are being paid for a service they aren’t providing.
In response, the Department of Health NCD Health Services, Dr. Garry Ou’u, told EMTV News that the closure was unauthorised and his department was not informed about it. He added that at this time of the year workers are still returning from holiday and causing the shortage.
Dr. Ou’u said that the issue also had to do with an ongoing sewerage problem they had at the Six Mile Clinic, with Gordon’s Clinic having been flooded from ongoing rain over the weekend.
He gave his assurance to patients who use the Six Mile Clinic that he would be looking into the matter immediately.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WGfmsMOmazo%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
