Members of the National Health and Pharmaceutical Board were sworn-in recently, at the National Department of Health (NDoH). Minister for Health & HIV, Jelta Wong, witnessed the occasion.
Members of the two boards recited oaths and signed legal instruments in the presence of NDoH’s Legal officer Steven Jilawara and Acting Registrar of the PNG Medical Board Dr. Alphonse Tay.
Health Minister Jelta Wong said that the Medical Board and Pharmacy Board play extremely important roles to ensure the health system in PNG is safe, and is operated by a team of technically, professionally and highly qualified, competent people.
He said the health sector is a highly scientific organization and it deals directly with people’s lives, so the human resources who provide services from these facilities must be properly trained, qualified and technically competent.
Secondly, he added that health facilities that provide health services, either be it public or private must also meet the standards because health is a highly infectious and risky industry.
Secretary for National Department of Health, Dr Osborne Liko explained the functions of the two boards.
“The Medical board also takes care of the radiologist, radiographers, those who deal with the x-rays and from the technicians and those who operate the x-rays and those specialists who actually look at the x-rays and certify getting the diagnosis. Then we have the pathology, from technicians all the way to the specialists,” said Dr. Liko.
He said the health board is also responsible for the registration of the areas of specialties in Allied Health and the Community health workers.
Dr. Liko said within the year he has been secretary, he has noticed the gaps in the pharmacy, medical board and nursing council, so he is making sure that all those regulatory bodies are in place to take care of the workforce, and maintain the standards.
He also mentioned that the nursing council is also due for commissioning. Dr Liko added that the nursing council had finalized its appointees and are in the gazette.
“So again like the PNG Medical Board, all the pharmacists both within the country and those that come from overseas for practice they should have their licensing through the pharmacy board and I, being the chairman, now give that authority by way of signature to authorize their credentials, and their competencies in pharmacy industries.
“Medical board also under the 1980 Medical Act, (have) that delegated responsibility to have the committees of the respective disciplines. So we have the accreditation and standards committee, medical facilities so all of those private facilities must have a license,” He added.
Another role of the medical board is to ensure the standards requirements of safe practice are in place before a private clinic is given the operating license.
According to the 1980 Registration Act, there are eight members, three of whom are appointed by the Minister. In this board, the Minister-appointed members are Dr. Paul Sali (Dental), Dr. Noah Tapoa (Specialist at PMGH) and a member of the clergy from the PNG Council of Churches.
The formation of the remaining five members are as follows: 2 representation from the medical society, one representation from the Allied Health Workers, UPNG School of Medical Sciences, and the Health Secretary as a representative from NDoH.
The main criteria of the selection is that they have to be financial members of the society, they are voted during the AGM, and the Chairman of the Medical board is to be appointed upon the first sitting of the Medical Board after swearing-in.