By Bethanie Harriman – EM TV News, Lae
According to Special Parliamentary Committee on Reform and Service Delivery Chairman and Goroka MP, Bire Kimisopa, there are systemic problems in the delivery of Health Services.
The committee has identified a number of key problem areas that include the way budgets are being framed; how money is being allocated; and the accounting system used to deliver Health services.
The Health service has a windfall of government funding, but it also has a shortfall of the service reaching those in the rural parts of the country.
Goroka MP, Bire Kimisopa, led a team to provinces around the country to find out what was stopping the services from reaching the people.
The findings showed that even with free primary health, sick people living afar, from the country’s main centres, are not getting enough of the service.
The shortfalls have been attributed to where money is being spent, who is spending the money and how it is being accounted for.
The Special Parliamentary Committee on Reform and Service Delivery have found that there were more hands that the funds go through, including the Provincial governments, therefore priorities change and the money is spent in an area other than the Health Service.
The Committee also found that with irregularities in the procument of drugs, sixty to seventy percent of drugs aren’t needed and those needed are always in short supply after purchase.
The drug supply irregularities show corruption in the way drugs are obtained for hospitals and health centres.
Recommendations will be made after a public enquiry that will involve stakeholders and the general public in Port Moresby.
But, the Chairman has hinted from his own opinion that structural changes in the public services have to be made to ensure that cabinet’s promises of delivering better health services are met.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nOOb2xDknrE%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
