Improvements to the Accidents and Emergency Unit of Mt Hagen Hospital and plans for the roll-out of out-patient services are currently being carried out to improve service delivery.
Chief Executive Officer of the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority, Dr. James Kintwa in announcing this last week said an Emergency Physician, Dr. Scotty Kandelyo has also been recruited to provide full-time medical services in the A&E unit.
Dr. Kandelyo who has been sponsored by the WHPHA to complete his training in the last five years has returned and has initiated some new changes that should see improved services at the emergency unit.
He has initiated shift arrangements for doctors to be present at the A&E on a 24-hour basis so that the public could be seen by a doctor on arrival instead of the duty nurses calling for an on-call doctor to come as was the case previously.
Dr. Kintwa said Dr. Kandelyo’s request for essential medical equipment for the A&E unit has been paid for at a cost of K220,000 and with these capabilities, the WHPHA hoped to provide good and efficient services to the people of Western Highlands.
He said Dr. Kandelyo’s other request for improved physical layout of the A&E unit has also been attended to and a contractor, Gilsenan Melpa Ltd has been engaged to carry out the job.
On out-patient services, Dr. Kintwa has informed the public that by June this year, the Adults Out-patient and Children’s Out-patient services would be provided by the newly-built urban clinics and the existing clinics.
It is hoped that the new urban clinics at Wagbel and Ogelbeng would be completed by June and would support the existing ones at Rebiamul and the Susu Mamas clinics at Newtown and Kagamuga to cover the out-patient services.
Dr. Kintwa said all people seeking primary health care services such as coughs and headaches must go to these clinics and not the out-patients services at Mt Hagen Hospital.
He said those from the rural areas are asked to go to the nearest health facilities there to seek treatment as Mt Hagen Hospital would only accept referrals from the urban and rural facilities.
