FORMER HEALTH MINISTER OUTLINES ISSUES IN HEALTH SECTOR
By Nigel MADO
Former Health Minister, Dr. Lino Tom says PNG has been receiving expensive, low-quality medicines due to shady deals and poor oversight in an interview with the FM100 Newsroom. The now opposition MP, has broken his silence on what he describes as “shady and opaque” drug procurement processes that have plagued Papua New Guinea’s health system for years.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Dr. Lino revealed that many of the drugs supplied to PNG were not only overpriced but also inferior in quality, posing real risks to public health.
He said as someone from the medical fraternity, he is able to see the decline in the quality of medicines over the years.
In a bid to clean up the system, Dr. Lino in his time as Health Minister, initiated reforms to shift the procurement of medical supplies onto the World Health Organization (WHO) platform.
He explained that the country does not have the numbers to negotiate for cheaper, high-quality drugs like Indonesia and the WHO platform helps smaller countries like PNG access quality medicine at fair prices.
Beyond drug procurement, Dr. Lino emphasized the importance of appointing capable leaders to Provincial Health Authority (PHA) boards.
He said good boards mean better health outcomes.
