Make plan work, doctor urges health workers

A SENIOR medical doctor in PNG is urging health workers in the country to stand together and make the seventh national health plan (NHP) 2021-2030 work.
National health board deputy chairman Dr Mathias Sapuri said the health plan was developed by the Health Department.
“When it’s homegrown and we are all in it together, we can make it work together for our nation,” he said.
“Your Government has delivered (by putting money in the budget), the department has delivered and we, as implementers, have to deliver the outcomes at the end of the day.”

Dr Sapuri said a situational analysis of last NHP 2011-2020 showed that progress had been made but there were still challenges in all areas of healthcare with many gaps to fill.
“We have to fill in the gap as part of the development and implementation of the new health plan,” he said.
“Communicable diseases are sitting at 40 per cent on deaths at the moment, infectious diseases are 21 per cent, malaria and tuberculosis continue to be 11 and 10 per cent respectively.
“Our children, the under-five mortality is at 45 deaths out of 1,000, the perinatal or neonatal mortality is 30 out of 1,000.
“Maternal mortality is at 171 out of 100,000 which is an improvement from what it was in 2006 where it was 733 out of 100,000.
“We still have to push the boundary to be able to get health services across so that we save children.”

The National / PNG Health News

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