PNG Health Dept urges weekly checks on medicines

4:47 pm on 7 February 2019

Papua New Guinea's Department of Health has called on all hospital authorities in the country to check their medical supplies each week.

PNG Angau hospital

PNG Angau hospital Photo: RNZ Pacific

The health Secretary Pascoe Kase said teams from the department would be calling hospital pharmacies every week to check stock levels.

The government has been under mounting pressure to respond to widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies in hospitals across PNG.

The newspaper The National reports Mr Kase saying where there are potential shortages the department will deliver medicines.

He urged provincial health authorities to ask their pharmacists to communicate with their area medical stores for their medical supplies.

The secretary also pressed rural health centres and aid posts to communicate with the logistics companies responsible for distributing medical kits delivered to the provinces last December.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs