Enga plans for five star hospital

Another plan from the Enga Governor. Health is very important and he should deal with it quickly, instead of giving money to Mendi and Mt. Hagen Hospitals to serve the people of Enga.
The Old Sopas Adventist Hospital was the best, but we spoiled it. It is now water under the bridge. Can it be revived?
Plans for a five star hospital for Enga Province are underway with Governor Peter Ipatas already choosing the Mendi General Hospital as a model.

Mr Ipatas led a team of American doctors and builders to gauge information and have a look at the Mendi Hospital which was a five star grading last week after an external accreditation survey on hospital standards conducted by senior officers from other hospitals around the country.

He said the National Government over the years failed the Enga people by not giving them a good hospital to take care of their health.

“For Enga, reasons beyond me, the National Government failed to build a proper hospital. When you look at all services provided, health care is the number one service for our people,” Mr Ipatas said.

He said Enga would have a modern hospital equipped with state of the art facilities for its people.

When queried why the provincial government was not providing incentives to attract doctors, the Governor did not give a direct answer but said:

“Misappropriation is rampant yet people are getting away with it.”

Mr Ipatas said he had an agreement with fellow members of the Southern Highlands Province during the LNG Benefit Sharing Agreement signing in Kokopo that funding for the construction of the new hospital would come from the LNG’s infrastructure development appropriation.

“Our provincial team is looking into the new hospital and we already have a project manager from the United States. We are also getting ideas on the equipment to be used with the help of our American friends who are professionals in hospital buildings and medical equipment,” Mr Ipatas said.

Though he did not give a definite date when the building would start, he said the idea started in 1998 and the arrival of the American delegation indicated progress was underway.

Meanwhile, Mr Ipatas presented K50,000 to the Mendi General Hospital for the purchase of an electrocardiogram machine to diagnose heart diseases.

He said the money was a contribution to the hospital for the services it provided to the people of Kandep in the Enga Province.