NCD Health Services will no longer be under the National Department of Health following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with National Capital District Commission on Friday, November 3rd.
NCD Health Services now falls under the management of the city authority.
For many years Port Moresby’s health services have suffered with patients paying the price of this administrative blunder.
Management and running of most of the provincial clinics and health centres across the country fall directly under their provincial governments but this has not been the case for Port Moresby clinics and health centres.
Secretary for Health Pascoe Kase said due to this, provision of health services in the nation’s capital has performed below required indicators.
The transfer of the NCD Health Services from Department of Health to the city’s municipal government, NCDC, is expected to improve the health indictors.
“This city, especially the health services, have suffered when under the Department of Health. A lot of good things that the provinces are benefitting from are not given to NCD Health Services,” stated Health Secretary Kase.
Kase further explained that by law, the Health Department is responsible for devising and implementing polies while health service delivery through clinics, hospitals and health centres is the jurisdiction of the provincial government.
New managers, the National Capital District Commission, say they are more than willing and able to take charge of the delivery of health services in the city.
“We are ready to deliver a world-class health service to the city,” said NCD Governor Powes Parkop.
This transfer also reflects the government’s decentralization of powers policy.
“We must evolve more powers to the provincial governments,” remarked HIV and AIDS Minister Sir Puka Temu.
The NCD Health Services’ resources and manpower comprising of sisters, nurses and doctors will now be under NCDC.
(Health Secretary Pascoe Kase)