Papua New Guinea: Modillon Hospital in Madang on the brink of collapse, warns manager
Photo:
US Navy
The acting manager of one of Papua New Guinea's main hospitals says it is on the brink of collapse.
Workers at Modillon Hospital in Madang say there is severe mismanagement, a lack of funding, and unsafe working conditions.
The hospital is meant to provide services for a catchment of half a million people.
Acting hospital manager John Mark Jeremiah said Modillon is no longer functioning as a proper referral facility, and he is blaming this on poor leadership and outside interference.
He told the
Post-Courier
that ''professional standards have collapsed".
Staff have reports that essential medical tools, such as portable X-ray machines and anaesthetic equipment, are broken.
They say sterilisation systems are also down, and water and electricity services are unreliable.
Toilets and ablution blocks are in poor condition, and there are serious hygiene concerns.
Doctors also reported being left off the payroll, while others have been evicted from staff housing due to unpaid rent.
This is despite reports that five sixths of the hospital's funding goes to wages, leaving little for hospital operations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Over 36,000 nurses, midwives to strike for 24 hours on Wednesday
Nurses striking in Auckland on 3 December, 2024. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Last-ditch talks between Health NZ and the country's biggest nurses' union on Monday have failed to avert a nationwide strike later this week. More than 36,000 nurses, midwives, heatlhcare assistants and kaimahi hauora are set to walk off the job for 24 hours from 9am on Wednesday. Health NZ said the latest bargaining meeting with the Nurses Organisation on Monday had not resolved all the outstanding issues, but there were contingency plans in place to ensure patient safety during the strike. It estimated about 4300 procedures and specialist appointments would have to be postponed as a result.. NZNO chief executive Paul Goutler said its members were "exasperated" by Health NZ's refusal to acknowledge chronic short-staffing through negotiations, which began last September. "Short-staffing not only puts patients at risk, it impacts on the number of procedures and assessments hospitals can carry out, adding to wait times. "Nurses, midwives and health care assistants want to give their patients the care they need, when they need it. Instead they are stretched too thin and their patients are forced to wait for care. This can lead to unnecessary pain and discomfort for patients and heartbreak for their friends and whānau watching them suffer." There was such a dire lack of health care assistants at Christchurch Hospital recently that whānau were asked to come in and help their loved ones, he said. NZNO president and Dunedin nurse Anne Daniels said in 45 years of nursing, she had never seen the public health system "in such a state of failure". "We have far too few nurses to provide safe and timely care. That is hurting our patients, and it is heartbreaking for us to go to work each day knowing that despite all our best efforts there are just not enough of us to stop the escalating avoidable patient harm. "Nurses are not being recruited to replace those who are leaving in their thousands, and nurses are not being paid competitively to keep them in New Zealand. Our work conditions are desperate, and that takes a toll on us all every day. That's why I am striking." Health NZ was disappointed at the strike action "when there is a fair offer on the table". "We are concerned about the impact strike action will have on patients who are waiting for planned care. "We appreciate it is never an easy decision for any of our nurses to strike. We sincerely thank the nurses who will be delivering life preserving services and all the volunteers who will be supporting our clinical services during the strike period." It said it was committted to safe staffing and its offer was fair given its financial contraints. "The offer rejected by the union would see a new graduate nurse on $75,773 gain a total pay increase of $8337 (or 11 percent) by the end of June 2026 once step progression is included. A registered nurse on the highest step with a base salary of $106,739 would see their pay increase by $3224 to $109,963 by the end of June 2026." The average salary for both senior and registered nurses, including overtime and allowances, was $125,662, Health NZ said. It's advising patients: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
Dead teen's family told they had to organise getting his body back to hometown
An urgent transfer meant the young man's family did not have a chance to say goodbye to him before his death. Photo: 123RF The family of a teenager who died from complications after an operation never got the chance to say goodbye. They were further distressed by being told they needed to organise his body's repatriation to his hometown. A complaint about the 19-year-old's care was referred to Health and Disability Commissioner by the coroner. The young man - who died in 2015 - had undergone an operation in January that year related to his type 2 neurofibromatosis - a genetic condition that causes benign tumours to develop on nerves, particularly those in the skull and spine. There were complications due to a post-operative infection and meningitis, which was treated successfully at a secondary hospital. The man - who was referred to in the commissioner's report as Mr B - continued to suffer from fluid building up around the brain and required regular release of cerebrospinal fluid through lumbar puncture. He was admitted to hospital with ongoing headaches and vomiting in April. A decision was made to hold off on further lumbar punctures due to concerns it could cause a hernia and to transfer him to another hospital via an air retrieval team. The transfer was delayed due due to staffing issues and a lack of an available air ambulance. Deputy commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell said at the time Mr B was neurologically stable and his transfer was scheduled for the next day. However, while waiting he collapsed and his heart stopped. He was then urgently transferred to another hospital, but his condition deteriorated and at the second hospital he was declared brain dead. Mr B's family told the commissioner they did not understand why he was not transferred by road when the air retrieval team was not available, and they did not understand why he was transferred to another hospital when his prognosis was poor. The transfer meant they did not have a chance to say goodbye to him before his death. The family also said they were asked if they would donate his organs only minutes after being told he was brain dead, which left them little time to consider their options. They were also told by a social worker it was up to them to organise transport of his body back to where they lived, even though he qualified for travel assistance. Health NZ apologised for the distress caused by the discussion related to organ donation and the miscommunication regarding transporting Mr B's body. Dr Caldwell said the care provided to the man was at an appropriate standard and decisions, such as the air transfer, were made appropriately based on the information available to the team at the time. Incorrect and minimal information was provided to the family once the man died and this had been particularly distressing for them, she said. She also had concerns about the communication between the air retrieval team and the teams treating Mr B. Health New Zealand breached the patient's right to information under the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights, the commissioner said. A number of changes had been made since the young man's death, including the establishment of Health NZ, Dr Caldwell said. "I am also mindful that providing recommendations at this stage for errors that happened some time ago is likely to have limited practical benefit." She recommended Health NZ Southern and Health NZ Waitaha Canterbury provided a formal written apology for the breaches identified in the report within three weeks. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 28 July
Test for leptospirosis in laboratory, conceptual image. Photo: DIGICOMPHOTO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRA/FCA/Science Photo Libraray via AFP American Samoa's Department of Health is warning about the risk of leptospirosis after rainfall in the territory. Leptospirosis is spread through the urine of infected animals and can be found in contaminated water or soil. People are advised to avoid playing in dirty water, wear protective shoes and and keep drinking water clean and covered. Bougainville's top police officer has issued a scathing indictment of the region's Correctional Service for the illegal release of convicts from Bekut prison on Buka. Deputy Police Commissioner Francis Tokura said the illegal releases are creating a "major logistical nightmare and financial burden" for police, and show a total breakdown in prison command and discipline. The Post-Courier reported Tokura saying it leaves a vacuum in the justice system in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region. He said convicted felons are meant to serve full sentences behind bars, not roam the streets of Bougainville communities. Former Cook Islands prime minister Henry Puna is the new president of the Cook Islands Party. The announcement was made during the party's conference in Rarotonga. Puna, the sole nominee for the position, replaces Tiki Matapo, who now assumes the role of patron of the party, alongside fellow former president Nga Jessie. During the congress, the party reaffirmed its full confidence in Mark Brown, who continues to serve as party leader and prime minister. This week is the inaugural Vanuatu Bislama Language Week in New Zealand. The 2025 theme for Bislama week is: 'Talk about climate change - it is real, and we must look after life.' Events will be held across New Zealand to celebrate the week. A French-Israeli company wants to develop a luxury eco-resort on Woodlark Island, in an archipelago off Milne Bay. Woodlark or Muyua Island is the largest of the island group. NBC reported the local MP, Henry Leonard, saying it will be an economic opportunity for the district and the country. He said from this resort PNG can create a new standard of tourism. He said the project has the potential to generate employment, boost economic growth, promote environmental stewardship, and enhance international connectivity. Officials have reached consensus on South Pacific albacore tuna allocation, within the Exclusive Economic Zones of the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency members, south of the equator. The fisheries agency said this agreement comes after nearly two decades of negotiations. The agreed allocations will form the basis of a binding agreement under the agency's Allocation Framework for South Pacific albacore. The Cook Islands has successfully completed a crop pest survey, part of a push to protect local agriculture and strengthen trade opportunities. Staff from the Cook Islands' Ministry of Agriculture and the PACER Plus Implementation Unit, as well as agencies from Australia and New Zealand, undertook the work on Aitutaki and Rarotonga. The survey is a Cook Islands' commitment under the PACER Plus deal to improve plant health systems and support safe, sustainable trade. The head of the Ministry of Agriculture Temarama Anguna-Kamana said keeping the country's borders strong for potential export opportunities requires good data.
