New hospital for Namatanai

Vice Minister for Mining Wera Mori has urged the New Ireland Provincial Government (NIPG) to provide much needed equipment and facilities to the Namatanai District Hospital.
 
Mr Mori said this when launching the rehabilitated Namatanai District Hospital and staff houses on October 4 in Namatanai, New Ireland Province.
 
He said under the Lihir Mining Project’s revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), the NIPG has committed to co-fund the rehabilitation of the hospital and its facilities which it (NIPG) should honor, to complement the National Government’s contributions.
 
The National Government funded the rehabilitation and maintenance of the hospital and staff houses which cost almost K2m.
 
The implementation of this project which was managed by the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) was funded under the Public Investment Program. (PIP) for the Lihir Mining Project as per the revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).
 
Minister Mori urged the NIPG to support the hospital to ensure delivery of reliable and quality health services to the people within the township of Namatanai and the surrounding catchment areas.
 
He said for 15 years there had been little maintenance done to the hospital and staff housing, resulting in poor working conditions which affected the level of services provided by the staff.
 
He also said the increase in the number of patients was an additional burden on the hospital and its limited resources and as a result, patients with major cases had to be referred to the Kavieng General Hospital which is five hours away.
 
“Such a situation is unacceptable in a province that hosts two gold mines, one of them a major gold producer which provides significant royalties to the NIPG.”
 
“Having said this, the National Government also accepts the responsibility for failing to attend to such an important health facility in a timely manner. As such, the National Government has seen fit to undertake this important project which I hope will restore staff morale and ensure that health services continue to be delivered to the majority of our population within the catchment area in Namatanai district,” said Mr Mori.

Source: Post Courier Online