A nurse of the Modilon General Hospital is now calling upon the Senior Executive Management of the Madang Provincial Health Authority to get their priorities right to address issues affecting the hospital.
The management was also urged to start carrying out surveys to counter and improve service delivery in the province.
Nurse Karen Demok called upon the Senior Executive Management to recall a workshop that was held by the National Health Department on National Health Service Standards last November.
She said it was high time now revisited and acted upon implementing the National Health Service Standards by conducting surveys in all the health facilities in Madang Province.
“That’s the direction, that’s the way forward for you management to see that and start making surveys on Madang Provincial Health Authority to recognize the standards of our health facilities starting from Level 1 to Level 5. The SEM must look at the standards and make it a priority to see what needs to be done, starting from manpower to drug,” stated Nurse Demok.
She further added that it has been three years now since the inception of the Provincial Health Authority and their vision of “Going Rural” has nothing much to show for as many of the health facilities in the rural area are still struggling for basic resources and facilities.
That in order for them to make these a reality, to make it work and make it happen, the senior management must start waking up and look back on the National Health Service Standards as it is there for a purpose and surveys are an important aspect of that.
Nurse Demok also commented on the fact that as a Specialist Provincial Referral Hospital and a Teaching Hospital, want more Senior Medical Officers and Registrars available to teach Health and Medical students of Divine Word University, as is not the case many times now.
Many of the infrastructure within the Modilon Hospital are now under intense renovation and reconstruction and that has had many adverse effects on staff and patients as well. Especially the Labour ward and Emergency Department, which have been relocated to a temporary site within the premises.
The staff have been reduced to work double shifts and patients have had to make do with the floor as the beds limited due to space issues within the temporary blocks.
The staff also concurred with Nurse Demok, saying the Emergency Department is currently sub-standard for a Level 5 health facility, having no resources and facilities, and asking when would the Emergency Department be completed so that they can perform as a Level 5 hospital.
All in all, the nurses, sisters and doctors, want people to get the best service and they also want to be proud of this hospital as staff.
Meanwhile, their demands remain with the Management, with the looming due date this week. We will continue with the update soon.