MALAITA Province Youth Council President, Philip Subu, has called on the Minister of Health and Medical Services, Culwick Togamana and his Permanent Secretary, Pauline McNeil, to resign.
Mr Subu made the call due to outstanding health service issues the country failed to address to save the lives of people under the leadership of Minister Togamana and PS McNeil of the health sector.
The latest debacle is the damage of 150 blood bags due to the malfunction of the blood storage fridge in the Blood Bank Centre at National Referral Hospital (NRH) as reported by Solomon Star’s frontpage on Thursday this week. The other major issue is the lack of medical drugs in health facilities nationwide.
“Lives of patients requiring blood transfusion at the NRH is at stake as a malfunction in the Blood Bank fridge has resulted in the contamination of a massive supply of stored blood supply.
“The Blood Bank at the National Referral Hospital needs between 15- 20 units of blood daily to cater for blood transfusion-needy patients.
“This means the wastage of 150 units of blood stock has reduced the blood supply to below the safe level.
“Not only that, it will discourage blood-donating volunteers to come forward and donate blood when there is an appeal for blood donation,” the paper reported.
Mr Subu said people’s lives are at risk with the current state of the country’s health services.
“As a Youth Leader, I am calling on the Health Minister and the PS to step down/resign.
“They are incompetent! The reasons are obvious. You don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you.”
Mr Subu also called on the Parliamentary Health Committee to act on the matter.
“I am calling on the Parliamentary Health Committee to investigate the current state of our health services.”
“Is the Parliamentary Health Committee still functioning?” Mr Subu questioned.
By SOLOMON LOFANA
Solomon Star, Auki
