PNG government's K20m free health care not enough

By: Christine KILDI : PNGFM

The Papua New Guinea government has allocated K20 million for Free Health Care in the country, however a senior Paediatrician in the country , Dr Sam Yokopua said the funding is not enough and it cannot cater for drugs and other medical necessities .

He said the government’s Free Health Care Policy has inflicted a lot of wound to health workers and the budget cut just adds salt onto the wound.

“Many Health workers will start quitting their jobs because it is a difficult situation to deal with sick people when we have nothing to give them”
“People think it’s Free Health Care by the government and they come and expect us to serve them which just adds more pressure on us when we cannot afford drugs or other medical supplies” said Dr Yokopua.

He said the hospitals and clinics will have to charge some sort of fees due the budget cut and he also urged the public to be wary of how much was allocated for Free Health Care so when they are being charged to pay some fees, they just have to comply.
“The hospitals and other health facilities will still need to charge some fees so when they have a short fall, they can still depend on their internal revenue” said Dr Yokopua
He said, since the Free Health Care policy was introduced, hospitals and clinics have been struggling to keep their heads above the water.