Thumbs up for priority on health

THE MINISTER for Health Michael Malabag and the government are to be congratulated for the priority they have placed in restoring and improving our health services.
This is of really great importance to all our people.
It is not fair for large amounts of government money to be spent on sending the privileged few overseas for specialist treatment when our hospitals could be upgraded to attend to these people here.
Many of our people live in remote areas where health services are still poor and people die trying to get to see a doctor at a hospital.
Sadly this still occurs in my home area of Western Manus, for instance.
When I was asked to review the draft of the present health plan I commented that the plan was that of a poor developing country and did not take into account that in a couple of years time we will be the richest island state in the Pacific.
If we use this money wisely we could improve our health services so that by the end of the decade it could become equivalent to the service offered in Singapore or in Australia. This would require upgrading of the National Health Plan, not only in facility maintenance and development but also in the area of health worker training, so that we would have enough staff specialised to run such facilities.
We must also ensure that the new facilities are spread equitably across our nation so that all our people can benefit. Base level training should also be improved.
One cannot expect a grade 10 leaver, who undergoes a one year training course, to be able to look after sick villagers properly as a Community Health Worker if they are not closely supervised and receive regular inservice training.
The management and organisation of the health services must be looked at so they come to work efficiently as an integrated whole in each province.
The chronic shortage of medical supplies in the peripheral areas must be addressed and the return to international tendering considered for the purchase of medicine. Expert managers must be trained and put in place at all levels of management.
Doctors are trained in the management of patients, their medications, and treatment and not in the management of organisations and staff. They must receive specialist post graduate training in management if they are to take up such positions.
A great deal of work has to be done to achieve this goal by the end of this decade, but it is possible with our government’s commitment and good forward planning and dedication by our health staff.
I sincerely hope that the challenge will be taken up for the benefit of all our people.

Quentin Reilly, Registered Specialist Medical Officer – Health Administration and Public Health
Former Secretary for Health