THE Ministry of Health and Medical Service (MHMS) is incapable in solving the beds shortage faced at the National Referral Hospital (NRH).
The ministry has informed the media yesterday that they’re fully aware of issues of overcrowding and bed shortages at the Accidents and Emergency Department (AED) and they’re working hard and closely with the NRH management to address the issue.
Chief Executive Officer of the MHMS Dr George Malefoasi said the needs in the NRH has doubled up each year and has kept the ministry at bay in solving the bed shortage issue.
“So, our current stage in general is that the demand for hospital admissions is increasing or doubled. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we still have heavy workload at the emergency department as well at the other wards,” he said.
Malefoasi said the public at large should understand that the shortage of bed issue experienced at the NRH is similar to what happens to other hospitals in the world.
He said despite the double resources received over the years, it is not yet enough to meet the hospital’s needs, though the country have resources that are not suffocated enough to contain the depth of the burden of the disease.
“We have resources that are not enough to expand to the extent of the disease out to the communities and also within our families, so what is needed is innovation and change, and this is something that we always try to encourage at NRH and in the ministry as a whole.”
Malefoasi said the other contributing factors to the issue are funding and budgets, slow process of procurement and not enough manpower.
By FOLLET JOHN
Newsroom, Honiara
