Kase to be given time to respond

By REBECCA KUKU - The National

THE Cabinet will give health secretary Pascoe Kase, pictured, time to respond to issues raised in a petition submitted by the National Doctor’s Association (NDA) yesterday.
“The Prime Minister (James Marape) and I will meet with Kase to discuss some of the points,” Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Elias Kapavore said.
“We will give him time to respond, and we will also have in place an independent team to investigate some of the concerns raised in the petition.”
The details of the issues were not revealed to the media.
The petition is related to the controversial awarding of two contracts worth K100 million to Borneo Pacific Pharmaceutical Limited (BPPL) for the procurement and supply of medical kits and antibiotics for Papua New Guinea this year.
Following the announcement of the contract awards by Kase on Aug 14, the NDA questioned the Government’s rationale of awarding contracts to the private sector for the supply of medical kits and medicine.
“Why can’t the Government set up its own department to procure medical kits and medicine directly, either, from the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended agents, like the International Dispensary Association (IDA) or equivalent, or directly from manufacturers in Asia, Australia, the US or Europe?
“Generic medicines procured this way will be cheaper and effective,” NDA secretary and chief of emergency medicine Dr Sam Yockopua had lamented.
The NDA also demanded that Kase be replaced and the contracts be suspended.
Kapavore told The National that he was present with the prime minister at the presentation of the nine point-point petition by NDA.
“I wish to thank NDA for their presentation that now place us in the picture with analyses from their view on health, both at governance and clinical settings.
“Delivering health services remains and will continue to be a challenge for the Government.
“Many interventions for improvement, supported by our development partners are acknowledged.”


Go to this link for more; https://www.thenational.com.pg/kase-to-be-given-time-to-respond/

Misuse of antibiotics should stop, says official

By LULU MARK - The National

THE misuse and abuse of antibiotics in PNG should stop in order to prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Health Department secretary Pascoe Kase says.
In his address to participants of the first national AMR forum in Port Moresby yesterday, Kase urged human health, animal health and environment sectors to take a unified stand against the global public health threat which required local interventions.
He said AMR was a behavioural change in the disease causing microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that defended themselves from the antimicrobials such as antibiotics and other medicines that were meant to kill them.
He said AMR was a major concern because it resulted in prolonging the disease, increased healthcare cost for the individual and society, disability and even death.
“Every country is affected by IMR which causes 700,000 deaths every year worldwide,” he said.
“The multi-drug resistance tuberculosis (TB) is a classic example of AMR in PNG. “
Kase said the Government was committed to combating AMR through a one-health approach, therefore the national action plan 2019-2023 on it was signed by the Health and Agriculture and Livestock departments, the Conservation Environment Promotion Authority (Cepa) and National Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA).
He said the ARM secretariat under Health Department through the pharmaceutical standards service branch would coordinate this.


Gop to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/misuse-of-antibiotics-should-stop-says-official/

PNGDF setting up base in Hela

Posted on The National

THE Papua New Guinea’s Defence Force (PNGDF) will set up a forward operating Base (FOB) comprising a company of 100 men in Hela.
Commander Brig Gen Toropo, pictured, told The National that the PNGDF had decided to set up the FOB due to the ongoing law and order issues in the province. The call out first begun in December 2016 that cost tax payers K11 mil to quell tribal fighting in Hela and was later extended to Southern Highlands and Enga to address law and order issues in 2017 for the national general elections.
The call out was than extended again when a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Mt Bosavi at the borders of Southern Highlands and Hela to June this year but was again extended December following the massacre of women and children on July in Tari-Pori.
Toropo said troops were still in Hela, Enga and Southern Highlands to maintain security.
“We are also currently scoping out the new Hela defence barracks,” he said.
“Our engineering battalion are also working on the Highlands Highway as well. They’ve completed the Madang to Ramu road and the Baiyer to Jimi Road and are now working on the Ramu to Jimi Road which is a 90km stretch of road.”
“Also in Finschhafen (Morobe), a team of our engineers are on the ground to work on the road from Finchaffen to Bukawa.”

Go to this link for more; https://www.thenational.com.pg/pngdf-setting-up-base-in-hela/

BIG SHAME! THE BAVA PARK RUGBY UNION STADIUM HAS BEEN CONVERTED INTO A LIVING QUARTERS

By Frank A Makanuey - PNG Blogs

The dressing room at the Bava park rugby union stadium has been converted into a living quarter's. Big games cannot be hosted there due to the lack of a proper dressing room. 

Is NSTL a State-Owned Enterprise? Is NSTL owned by PNG Sports Foundation?

Prior to the Pacific Games in 2015, the PNG Sports Foundation under the former Minister Justin Tkachenko conducted automatic acquisition of the sporting fields around the Bisini - Boroko area and improved it for the games. Soccer, Softball, Netball, Rugby Union, Cricket and AFL fields including the land where the Botanical Garden used to be but was being used by Port Moresby Softball as the carpark.

All these fields are now managed by a company, a business arm of the Png Sports Foundation which now manages these infrastructures. The company is called NSTL, or National Stadiums Trust Limited.

Can the Minister responsible for Sports answer the following questions? I believe the Ministry of Sports still remains with the Prime Minister and Wesley Ramin as the Vice Minister.

1. Does the company come under the SOE, if not, why not?
2. PNG Sports Foundation is a public service institution. Can a Government Department own and operate a Business?
3. To whom does the Company make Declarations and where does the profit margin go to and who benefits out of them.
4. Is this company a private company, a trust, or a Government Department-owned business. And who are the Board of Directors of this company?
5. Can Sir John Pundari and the Parliament Public Accounts Committee inquiry into their Finances, Legality and Operations?
5. Are the Land Titles of the Bava Rugby Park, Bisini Soccer, and Softball and Netball grounds registered under this Company?

I believe this company is illegal. I believe the company National Stadiums Trust Limited (NSTL) is an illegal company set up by PNG Sports Foundation to manage all the stadiums. This company now owns and operates the Stadiums at the Bisini, and regularly receives rental payments from Rugby Union, Soccer, AFL, Netball and Softball for the usage of the fields once owned and operated by the sports.

I believe the Board of Directors of NSTL will one day own these Stadiums.

If the EMTV saga requires an immediate undertaking to be investigated, by the same token, the same must be applied to Png Sports Foundation and NSTL.

By the way, the dressing room at the Bava Rugby Union has been converted into an accommodation to house one of the NSTL employees.

What's going on Minister?

Tomorrow the Oceania Rugby Union Cup will be played at the Sir John Guise Stadium, because the Visiting Teams from Solomons Islands, Niue and Nauru cannot use the Dressing Room at the Bava Park to change and play.

What's going on Mr Minister? Please explain. I have asked these same questions since 2017, and to date no one has responded. I asked again 5 days ago on this forum. Silence.

I will continue to ask until I get some kind of response from the Minister. It seems this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to PNG Sports Foundation since the 2015 Pacific Games.


Go to this link for more: http://www.pngblogs.com/2019/08/big-shame-bava-park-rugby-union-stadium.html