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OPENING
ADDRESS TO THE 20TH NATIONAL HEALTH CONFERENCE
‘CHARTING THE PATHWAY FORWARD FOR THE HEALTH VISION
2050
CROWN PLAZA, 16-20TH AUGUST 2010
MINISTER FOR HEALTH & HIV/AIDS AND MEMBER FOR HUON GULF,
HON. SASA ZIBE
KEYNOTE OPENING ADDRESS
Salutation.
Chief Secretary to the Government of PNG, Secretary to Department
of Health,
development partners, friends and partners from the Churches
and non-government
organizations, governors, provincial administrators, health
managers and program
managers and members of the Department of Health executive
management team, and
staff from the Department of Health, ladies and gentlemen.
Intro
As I walk into the conference room this morning, I feel anxiety
in the air. There is an air
of expectation and anticipation.
Ladies and gentlemen, as the Chief Secretary alluded to in
his address, we are in the time
where we are expecting changes to happen to the way we do
and conduct our way of life,
our businesses and how we in the public sector provides for
our people and specifically
we in the health sector provides to our people.
With this remarks I welcome you all to the 20th National Health
Conference, and for
those who come from outside of National Capital District,
welcome to Port Moresby.
The 20th National Health Conference is the last of such conferences
in the lifeline of
current National Health Plan 2001 – 2010. The 20th National
Health Conference is also
transiting into the implementation phase of the new National
Health Plan 2011- 2020.
There is anticipation because it is a dawn of a new era. Usually
there are certain
characteristics to the dawn. Some dawns are clear with the
new rays of the sun over the
horizon while some dawns are covered with mist and fog. Some
dawns come with
showers.
But this dawn in health has the characteristics of expectancy,
where the morning sun
would come out clear to brighten up the day.
The new National Health Plan has clearly marked out the path
the health sector can take
to address many of the issues and challenges we have faced
and encountered.
Our health indicators have
not improved much over the years and in the lifeline of the
preceding National Health Plans.
The health indicators in infant mortality and maternal mortality
have not improved,
though mother and children’s health are priority programs
in the past national health
plans.
Malaria and tuberculosis cases are not brought under as yet.
Lifestyle diseases are
increasingly seen, affecting our affluent people.
New diseases have already hit our shores such as HIV/AIDS,
Influenza H1N1, and
Cholera, affecting our people unaware.
Common diseases that are placing a burden on our health care
delivery system are both
preventable and curable.
The cholera outbreak has given the picture that health values
and basic personal hygiene
seem to have decayed among our people.
Even natural phenomena such as global warming are aiding the
emergence of diseases.
That increases the vulnerability of our people and placing
a demand on our roles to be
more vigilant, and preparedness in addressing outbreaks of
diseases.
Given that scenario of disease burden, the situation do not
help much because our health
care delivery system has been deteriorating over the years.
Our health facilities do not have the capacity to meet the
increasing demand, both in
manpower, medical supplies and ward beds.
We have a parallel health system where coordination and implementation
of health
services and programs and management of our resources do not
harmonize.
All of us in this room, the Honourable Governors, provincial
administrators, and health
program managers can attest to this fact.
We need to come to realization of our problems in health and
own up. We now need to be
innovative in our approach in doing our business in health.
The experiences we have can
push us to be more creative and gives us the edge to further
identifying strategies that can
easily be implemented to improve the status of health of this
country.
At this juncture, I am happy to announce to the Conference
that the Department of Health
has the new 10-year Health Plan ready. It is a simple plan
put together by everyone of in
this room. The plan as it is now, reflects our combined thoughts
from the national to the
provincial and district levels that would guide us in doing
our business more
innovatively.
The economic climate of the country has the attributes to
finance the sixth National
Health Plan 2011 – 2020.
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