Papua New Guinea's Health Department is being criticised for its aging workforce.
A good number of doctors, nurses, health care professionals and administrators will soon reach retirement age.
During the Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council Forum last Friday, Health Secretary Pascoe Kase said the department was going to have to face reality and deal with this challenge.
“We will have to put some new approaches and structures to be able to move forward in the next couple of years,” he stated.
“PNG will not only require new health workers to replace those leaving but will also require additional health workers to fill the ever increasing demands of health services, resulting from the fast-growing population.”
Kase adds that to deal with the current situation, the department developed and started to implement a health workforce plan since the issue was brought to the department’s attention in 2011.
“This includes outgoing data collections and analysis of existing and future health care workforce needs.”
Kase says the Health Department is looking to double its efforts to keep the health care service flowing smoothly in the country.
(Picture: lexlimbu.com)