Dilemma in Health. Do not blame Port Moresby General Hospital

By Dr. James Naipao

Doctor:Population ratio of 1:17,000 plus will continue to be a burden for the country.
With the annual growth rate of 3%plus, and with 270,000 - 300,000 people added every year, we are playing a catch up game in all areas of government activities, and the worst hit is in Health.
The 12% of the GDP in the budget should be given to Health. When this does not come, the problems faced will continue to exist unless we do research on our past performances to look to the future with a good outlook.
The population of Port Moresby will soon go past the 1,000,000. The coming National Census will give us a true figure. Port General Hospital when it was first built was able to cater for 200,000 people. When the Japanese section built and as POMGH is today, was planned to cater for 400,000 people. Now, POMGH is suffocating.
With the struggling urban clinics, and the provincial migration to the city, Port General Hospital which is a National Tertiary Referral & Teaching Hospital will continue to face and struggle with the enormous collateral burdens. POMGH is playing a level 1-7 roles at the same time. Unless NCD, Central Province and Gulf Province and other Hospitals in the country revamp their health services, POMGH will continue carrying the burden.
At present, POMGH is like a patient too struggling to get well to become a Level 7 Hospital.