An advertisement was placed by the National Doctors Association in a local daily, challenging a decision made by the Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Michael Malabag.
This was in relation to the restoration of normal governance at Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority of which NDA stated its wish to challenge the reinstatement of the Board of WHPHA.
The decision was taken after two independent inquiries exhaustively considered the complaints and claims of some staff members; based on the outcomes of those investigations and on the recommendations of the WHPHA Independent Caretaker Board, which served for six months; and was implemented only after the Caretaker Board’s recommendations were endorsed by the National Executive Council.
NDA statement said that serious allegations have been brushed aside and that two independent inquiries were conducted by a professional team to probe each allegation made.
Specialists in the areas of personnel management, administrative processes, PNG laws, audit and the progress of capital works were dispatched for this purpose to Mt Hagen to look into every aspect of the allegations made.
Secretary to National Department of Health, Pascoe Kase said NDoH is aware that there are continuing matters of concern to the NDA and some staff at Western Highlands PHA and to the Board and management of Western Highlands PHA.
“It is the earnest wish of the Minister and the NDoH that a period of calm will be granted to the staff, management and Board of WHPHA to enable it to address those concerns.”
The term of the current Board continues until September 2017, and the Government will reconsider the matter again at that time and take into account the views of all stakeholders.