The 100-year-old CWM Hospital is in dire need of repair works with many of the windows and mosquito screens broken, many of the toilets needing plumbing and electrical works done, fans are broken, the lifts not working, ceilings in several departments caving in and dysfunctional air conditioning units - and hopefully it will be fixed in about three months.
The media was invited on a tour of the Children’s Ward, Maternity Ward and the kitchen to see for themselves what the state of the country's major hospital is.
The Medical Superintendent Doctor Luke Nasedra says they have a list of about 100 priority areas that have been given to their partners through the Board of Visitors.
He says they have given the assurance that they are looking at a time frame of three months to fix it.
Staff at the hospital had highlighted that some of the infrastructural issues have been there pre-COVID and while responding to a question on why it was not repaired before, Chief Medical Advisor Doctor Jemesa Tudravu says when it comes to infrastructure and development, they facilitate what the Government’s priorities are.
He says over the last few years, the priority has been around ensuring they have the procurement system sorted but now that we have a new government with new priorities, they are happy the government is looking at infrastructural development and improvement.
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says for quite a while the approval to spend was regulated and from what they understand, it had to be done to mitigate other things that were beyond their control. He says given that the mitigation risk plan for procurement has somewhat changed in the new environment, this has allowed them a little bit of leeway for the approval process to sort out the infrastructure and the ability to engage with other partners beyond the Ministry of Health and the government.
He says one of the first things the Minister Doctor Atonio Lalabalavu did upon his return from a tour of the Northern Division was to set up a meeting with the Board of Visitors and put forward a direction that they need to draw up a template and standard operating procedures on how they can engage partners who have a social agenda.
Dr. Fong says given this mandate, the team had a meeting and he has had a look at a list of about 100 priority areas that has been disbursed to various partners who are assigning themselves to do different works.
He says the International Women’s Organisation is currently working on the toilets in the Maternity and Children’s Wards while Mana Coffee is deep cleaning some of the toilets.
The Permanent Secretary says they are hoping to expand the program to whoever wants to help and the only thing they ask of their partners is they come in and work in a regulated space.
This is to coordinate what the other partners are doing and supplement what the Ministry’s asset team is working on.
He says they also want the template developed by the Board of Visitors to be replicated in all the subdivisions and a few of the health centres.
Dr. Fong says in the long term they are hoping the plan to bring back government capability to maintain government infrastructure on a regular basis can fall through a program of works.
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