PNG Doctors Urge NEC to Reverse Health Secretary Appointment
Papua New Guinea’s medical fraternity has raised alarm over a reported decision by the National Executive Council to permanently appoint Pascoe Kase as Secretary for Health, warning that the move could unsettle hard-won progress in the country’s fragile health system.
The National Doctors Association (NDA) has formally appealed to the NEC to revoke the appointment, citing unresolved governance concerns and a lack of transparency surrounding the process. The association says doctors nationwide were caught off guard by reports of the decision, which emerged without a formal public announcement.
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| PNG Doctors Urge NEC to Reverse Health Secretary Appointment |
In a detailed letter to Prime Minister James Marape dated December 19, NDA president Dr James Naipao said the reported appointment had triggered widespread unease among senior clinicians, frontline workers, development partners and health administrators across PNG.
Dr Naipao questioned why the NEC would reinstate an individual who was removed from the same position in 2018, particularly when no public explanation had been offered to show that earlier integrity issues had been fully addressed.
“The absence of transparent public explanations confirming that integrity and governance concerns have been fully resolved raises serious concern,” Dr Naipao said.
The NDA also sought clarification on whether the NEC considered publicly documented issues from Mr Kase’s previous tenure and whether a fit-and-proper assessment had been conducted prior to the reported appointment.
One major concern raised relates to NEC Decision No. 35/2025, which approved an administrative inquiry into the shortlisting and ranking of candidates for the Health Secretary role. The association said no findings from that inquiry had been released, casting doubt on whether the NEC complied with its own directives.
Doctors also questioned the exclusion of current Acting Health Secretary Ken Wai from the shortlist, describing his leadership during recent crises as stabilising and widely respected within the sector.
“Continuity in leadership is important at this stage, when the health system is still in the recovery process,” the NDA stated.
The association further argued that reappointing a former secretary who has already served two terms contradicts the NEC’s own two-term policy outlined in a joint circular issued on January 2, 2025, and criticised the ongoing practice of placing non-health professionals in highly specialised roles.
As part of its recommendations, the NDA called for an independent review of the appointment process, including the roles of relevant ministers, the Department of Personnel Management and the Public Service Commission, while proposing that Mr Wai continue in the role on an acting or fixed-term basis.
“This appeal is not political; it is professional, ethical and grounded in the sanctity of human life,” Dr Naipao said.
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