Port Moresby General Hospital capacity challenge

Port Moresby General Hospital has reached its outpatients capacity as patients line up at the hospital’s outpatient for screening before being referred to the relevant clinics and sections with the hospital.

A recent post on the Facebook page, showed people crowding outside the hospital with a comment saying that hospital is filled to capacity with the increase of the city’s population. 

Medical and clinical services are stretched to the limit at the Port Moresby General Hospital due to NCD & Central province populations seeking primary and secondary health care at this hospital.
The hospital clarified that people line up to be screened at the triage before being sent to the respective clinics within. 

However high cancelations of surgery is expected to increase further with long waiting queues and waiting time.

“Patients are required to go through the triage area before entering the hospital building. In the pictures, the staff who are attending to patients/public are from the different clinics/sections of the hospital.

“The staff check if patients have been checked at the triage tent before they go into the hospital,” the statement said.

Dr Paki Molumi CEO of PMGH admitted that the PMGH is full to capacity and expressed urgency for NCD and Central province to fast track on their provincial hospitals to take the load off PMGH.

Dr. Molumi had expressed on several occasions for outpatient services to be taken up by provincial hospitals so that PMGH can perform its role as the Teaching hospital as well as a referral hospital efficiently.

There is a glimmer of hope for the woes of Port Moresby General Hospital’s capacity to cater for the high demand for primary and secondary health care services from the population in NCD, Central and Gulf provinces.

The National Capital District Commission is moving towards taking charge of its population’s primary and secondary health care needs with a 500-bed Training and Specialist Hospital being planned to be built in Gerehu, in the Moresby Northwest electorate. 

NCD Governor Powes Parkop hopes to have the hospital completed in the shortest time possible, to ease the load off of the Port Moresby General Hospital.

The NCD Governor’s Steering Committee recently held its first meeting towards building a new NCD Level 5 Hospital in Tete Gerehu. 
The NEC-approved project is expected to cost K500 million. 
Governor Powes Parkop said, it is important that the hospital be completed in the shortest possible time so that it can release the demand on Port Moresby General Hospital.

He said the new hospital will serve at least 1.6 million people of Port Moresby, Central and Gulf Provinces.  

Parkop said the city needs specialised healthcare to address the increasing incidences of lifestyle diseases, and rampant TB. COVID-19 has also challenged us to build our health capacity to respond to a pandemic.

The inter-government committee of stakeholders has representation from NCD Provincial Health Authority, NCDC, Departments of Health, Dept Of Works, Finance, Treasury and the Dept of Planning & Monitoring.

Author: 
Press Release