POMGEN HEAD REFUTES TURNING DOWN JICA

By Vonu LIBITINO

Dr Paki Molumi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Port Moresby General Hospital (POMGEN), has refuted claims that has refuted claims that he, along with the POMGEN Hospital Board & Management refused a K100 million grant from the Japanese Government thru JICA, to build a perinatal center.

He made this statement in a press conference (PC) yesterday at the POMGEN.

This PC was called for with media, to address concerns raised by Senior Medical Doctor, Professor Glen Mola.

In a Facebook post, Professor Doctor Glen Mola, highlighted the ongoing crisis at the POMGEN’s Maternity Ward, which included a severe lack of adequate facilities, manpower and that the POMGEN Board had refused a JICA grant to build a perinatal center; a facility that Dr Mola says would have greatly alleviated the current crisis at the POMGEN’s Maternity Wing.

Dr Molumi, in his response, says this was not a grant from the Japanese Government.

He says it was a proposal rather than a grant & that this proposal, did not fit in with the National Health Plan 2021-2030 and the directions to upgrade POMGEN into a Level 6 Hospital.

He said for now though, to ease with the overcrowding at the Maternity Wing, the POMGEN will be setting up modular. Modular wards prefabricated healthcare units that can be assembled on the hospital grounds.

Dr Molumi says this should ease with bed spaces for mother’s giving birth and especially those mother’s, that will require to remain in hospital for further checks after giving birth.

He says these temporary wards should be set-up in the next 3 to months. For now, the POMGEN is working in partnership with the NCDPHA, to set up additional birthing facilities in the city, to ease the burden on POMGEN.

POMGEN is currently providing birthing facilities for all the 3 districts in Port Moresby and the Central & Gulf Provinces.”