Northern Governor Gary Juffa is threatening to take the Department of Health to Court if it does not act on the request from his Provincial Administration.
“In 2015, I raised serious concerns regarding a substandard health facility building, dubiously contracted by the NDOH to a company of zero skill and zero experience in such projects. In fact he was a male nurse who had not been to work for five years but was being paid until we put a stop to it,” Juffa said.
He said the Government funding for the project was paid upfront but the building of the province’s Drug Storage Facility is of very low standard.
Juffa said this had affected the distribution of drugs to rural aid posts and hospitals in the province.
“Drugs have to be brought into Oro from Lae. The delays mean sometimes patients do not have access to drugs they need.
“I reported this matter to the Minister Health and NDOH Executives. I was assured they would act on this.
“To date nothing has been done.
“The same building remains today, after one whole year from when we raised the matter with the NDOH and Health Minister Michael Malabag.
“We now are going to court to demand that on a humanitarian basis the NDOH complete their responsibility to Oro, that the people responsible for this scam be held criminally liable and that the NDOH review its procurement process,” Juffa said.
The NDOH recently brought in architects to inspect and make report on the stalled project.