PNG PM Marape Opens ESP Specialist Hospital
Papua New Guiena Prime Minister James Marape, MP officially opened the East Sepik Provincial Specialist Hospital today in WewaK, East Sepik Province.
Prime Minister Marape said in 2022, the National Government made a decision to build provincial hospitals around the country in the 22 Provinces and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
"We made that decision after COVID-19 shutdown the country and revealed to us that we had only 44 beds with inbuilt oxygen valves in the whole country," he said.
"Another thing was that Health and the economy go hand in hand. Therefore in 2022, we gave more funding to the health sector."
Prime Minister Marape said in the 2022 Budget, his government also increased funding for education infrastructure and roads that will contribute towards reducing the time people use to travel to their nearest health facilities.
"Today we have more than 300 contractors working in road construction, Health infrastructure development and education," he said.
"Modern Health care is an entitlement for our people and a security for our economy."
The Prime Minister said the Specialist Hospital is an asset for not only the people of East Sepik but also the people of Papua New Guinea.
He added that the National Government has already allocated K15 million to start work on staff housing so Specialist doctors can be brought in to work at the hospital.
Prime Minister Marape further added that he has brought another K5 million for the hospital to start work on a seawall to protect this state asset from rising sea levels and another K3 million for the Provincial Government to start feasibility studies on alternate sources of energy supply.
He said the government will now work on sourcing cheap loans to ensure all the other Provinces can have hospitals that are built to standards like the East Sepik Provincial Specialist Hospital.
"I would rather borrow from tomorrow's earning to build for not only tomorrow but for today," Prime Minister Marape said.
He said he is doing that now because he does not want to pass on the development burden to the next generation.
Prime Minister Marape urged the people to trust that his government is not taking out loans that will make the country so indebted with no way to pay back the loan. We getting loans to invest in infrastructures and assets like this that will carry the country.
He also placed on record his acknowledgement of the contributions and work made by the O'Neill Government for the work on the Specialist hospital.
Prime Minister Marape then thanked the contractor, VAMED for working through challenges like COVID-19 that shutdown the country and still deliver the project on budget.
Photos Supplied by PMs Media Unit
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