Lae’s Angau Hospital’s operations will come to a close at 10 am tomorrow, if Morobe’s Health Authority Board extends Grant Muddle’s appointment as the CEO for Angau Hospital, according to Angau Staff.
The hospital staff said Mr. Muddle’s appointment shouldn’t be extended because they alleged that Muddle has misused hospital funds, and hasn’t complied in recruiting senior officers.
They are claiming his contract expired on the 20th of December, last year.
The Hospital’s shut down of operations will not affect the Accident and Emergency Unit, Labour Ward, and the Theater Operation Unit.
They said the hospital has been experiencing issues that include shortage of food at the mess for the patients, no paper and ink to print prescriptions to give to patients and the theatre has been without air-condition for almost three months.
Lae’s Angau Hospital Staff claimed that these issues have been arising since the appointment of Grant Muddle as the Acting CEO for Morobe Provincial Health Authority in June last year.
Grant Muddle was appointed by the Morobe Provincial Health Authority Board as the Acting CEO on the 20th of June last year.
The Angau Staff claimed that his term expired on the 20TH of last month. They have written a petition to the Morobe Provincial Health Authority Board for the removal of Grand Muddle as the Acting CEO.
According to the Chairman of the Morobe Provincial Health Authority Board, David Wissink, there is currently a recruitment process underway, including re-advertising, for a substantive Chief Executive Officer which is open to all qualified applicants.
Until this process has been completed Mr. Grant Muddle remains acting Chief Executive Officer of the Morobe Provincial Health Authority.
Another meeting is planned for tomorrow, following the Angau Staff call to the Morobe Provincial Health Authority Board to remove Grant Muddle as the Acting CEO.
The staff said if the board refused to listen to their call, the hospital’s coorperate operations will close, except for critical areas such as the Accident and Emergency Unit, Labour Ward and the Theatre and Operation Unit.
By Julie Badui Owa, EMTV News, Lae
