Direct Funding to Hospitals is Delivering Results

The Prime Minister,  Peter O’Neill , has vowed to keep providing direct funding to hospitals, instead of allocating money through the bureaucracy, because he said this method is making sure the money reaches patients and serves their needs.
Speaking at the swearing in of the new Kerema General Hospital Board and the opening of the new hospital mess facility, the Prime Minister said one-by-one Hospital Boards are being properly appointed around the country.
“We are appointing hospital boards, in places like Kerema, that provide the right mix of business experience and technical healthcare knowledge,” the Prime Minister said.
“I was on the board of the Goroka Hospital many years ago, so I am very familiar with the challenges faced by hospital boards.
“All I say to the hospital boards is to get on with running your hospital and leave the politics to politicians.
“The healthcare sector in our country is one of the foremost areas in which our Government has placed great importance.
“We have put more budget support than any Government into healthcare after hospitals had been in decline for decades."
PM O’Neill said the Kerema hospital is a good example of direct funding delivering strong outcomes that other hospitals can learn from.
“I know that even when Government has allocated money in the past it does not always get through,” the Prime Minister said.
“So when I was Treasurer in 2010 we started to provide money direct to hospitals.
“We bypassed the department so can hospitals receive this money direct, because the hospitals know where it is needed, and you are held to account by your people.
“We are seeing positive results at Kerema Hospital today with better equipped wards, a rebuilding program going on and medicines reaching the sick.
“I saw the state of the health infrastructure here when I visited soon after the elections, and I know that what we see now is so much better.”
The Prime Minister also visited the TB ward at Kerema General Hospital where he thanks overseas medical staff from the Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) organisation who are working with the hospital.
“Healthcare cannot all be delivered by Government acting alone, but we need to work with our partners from business and NGOs.
“Doctors Without Borders is doing an outstanding job in helping our medical staff in the fight against TB and I thank them for our partnership.
“I again urge anyone who has symptoms to see your doctor, and if you do have TB symptoms be sure to see your full course of medication through.
“If you only take half of your medication you will just become multi-drug-resistant and just get sicker.”