Feature of Bubuleta Community Health Post

By: JACOB MARCOS-NDoH Senior Journalist

PICS:

The demand for health in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is increasing and the government’s enigma to raise the health standard services delivery is taking strategic toll.

The way to go is by fulfilling some of their priority areas like the free primary health cares and subsidised specialist services, health systems strengthening, provincial health authority roll out and more under the National Health Plan 2011-2020.

Despite, financial situations, the NDoH is going through ebb and flow to make health services available to the people especially reaching out to the rural majority and urban disadvantaged.

A classic example for bringing health services closer is the creation of the Provincial Health Authority (PHA) act 27 under the National Health Standard Services (NHSS) which provides the blueprint for improving the quality of health services in PNG. That allows for one health system across a single province.

Its purpose is to improve health service delivery and ease the manner in which health services can be delivered at the Provincial Level, through streamlining the government health services.

Commendably, the community health posts (CHP) and expanded hospital services for the future is of core concerns for the PHA and proven to be successful after the Milne Bay, Western Highlands and Eastern Highlands Provinces.

One of the fine products of health system strengthening is the newly opened state of art CHPs Bubuleta CHP, some 40 kilometres afar from the sleepy and yet peaceful Alotau Town in Milnebay Province.

I got the privilege to visit that place under the directions of NDoH Deputy Health Secretary- NHSS, Dr Paison Dakulala while at the 52nd Medical Symposium in Alotau just recently.

To my amazement, I was seriously impressed by the settings of that CHP and its fantastic looks. If I were a sick attending to that health facility, I would have just been healed, I thought.

The technical equipment and amenities of the Bubuleta health facility covers some of the high class clinical services including supervised births for mothers, health checks and immunisations for their children, early treatment of emergency conditions and health promotion and education activities in the catchment population of 10,000 people living within that area.

Similar type of facility is also being built in other parts of the Milne Bay Province at Gurney and in the Trobriand Islands and they will be launched later this year.

In fact, I did not have a change to see those other facilities but I will do.

This facility is the first to be completed in PNG by the NDoH through its Rural Primary Health Service Delivery Project (RPHSDP).

The total cost of those buildings in Bubuleta and the equipment is close to K5 million.

All those projects would have not been possible and successful without the support of our National Government, our Bilateral and Multilateral partners such as Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Asia Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations UNICEF who have supported this initiative and project.

The contribution of our partners ensured that our project was sustained and had the technical support for the duration of this project and the completion of this CHP, according Dr Dakulala.

The secretary for the NDoH also highlighted that the CHP strengthens the current Miline Bay PHA, structure and the mechanism and provides a greater avenue and sustainability on the current demand for the health care service delivery programs within the community and the province.

“Their contribution towards the current health care programs is highlighted by their continued support towards the Department of Health assisting within various capacities and programs by providing effective health care service systems,” Kase declared.

He says such more facilities will assist PHA in providing a better health care service to the Bubuleta community and the province.

This CHP has paved a new dawn and era within the medical fraternity in PNG and more of such is anticipated to glimmer PHA in its health service delivery.

After hearing much about it, Health and HIV/AIDS Minister, Michael Malabag had to make time available to see the facility for himself and declared Bubuleta as the best during the official speech at the Medical Symposium thus gives prominence to the Milnebay PHA.

Ends