When all of us, Papua New Guineans, care about our country, we will all work hard and earn an honest day’s living. We will all protect its territorial and institutional integrity as a modern independent nation.

When we care about our country, we will not habour the habit of always blaming others for our failures and inadequacies as a nation but take responsibility and do our part to address the issues. When we care about our country, we will not blame foreigners who are dominant in the private sector, and those involved in illegal activities and aid them in breaking our laws. When we care about our country, we will ensure foreigners do not come in and destroy our natural environment and indigenous ways in the name of “development” through the extractive industry businesses they acquire license to operate.

If we care about our country, PNG men will appreciate their wives and not enter into polygamy and extra-marital affairs but value the relationship with their wives for as long as they live. Conversely, a PNG woman will not cheat her husband, partner or boyfriend, if she cared about the total wellbeing of our country. If we cared about our country, parents and the communities will do their best to ensure all school age children are in school and ensure they complete their studies at whatever level. All of us working together for common good by following laws, policies and the norms, we can make our country great. Our actions and inactions has continued to the status of our country 45 years on after independence in 1975. See, it this way: PNG as a nation is an ecosystem that all parts play important roles for the wellbeing for the entire system.

 The reality that we have lived with as a nation is that many of our people do the opposite things to what is right and just by our laws, practices, standards and values.

 Today, I want to touch on one of those wayward activities involving learned Papua New Guineans that is prevalent in our public service system among public servants or government employees. This contrary conduct does not show that some of these professionals care about the total well-being of our country.

 This is the practice of double dipping and or serving two masters. There are many public servants who work for other people and their private businesses or those of their kin while being employed fulltime by the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.

 Among them are some medical doctors. This bracket of medical doctors employed by the State are caught up in this selfish practice of double dipping that is contrary to the laws of the land and common good of our country.

 There are medical doctors employed by the government who are engaged in private practice, consultancies, and moonlighting with other entities like business corporations.

 These doctors are engaged in the double dipping or serving of two masters while our health service delivery system continues to be crying out for health service professionals to be out there to provide health services in the communities of the urban areas and the rural areas.

 The health service professionals are among the loudest critics of government’s allocation of resources and they demand it to provide medicine and medical equipment, upgrade or build facilities and all the list of

things they always come up with in the name of providing improved health services to our people. They also speak out vehemently for the entitlements and benefits.

At the same time, many of the doctors on government payroll are engaged in private practice and consultancies and they even are involved in other forms of businesses such as real estate and PMV bus services.

 This practice is coming from a group of professionals whom the government spends so much money to educate and remunerated far better than many others.

 It does not come cheap to the Government and in particular the University of Papua New Guinea to train a doctor at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences down at the Taurama campus next to the Port Moresby General Hospital. The Government through the Department of Health spends significant sums of money to train a doctor up or to the point of being a fully-fledged specialist in a particular field of medicine. This training and mentoring is done predominantly in the government health service system under the auspices of the Department of Health.

The Independent State of PNG deserves to get value for money, for the level of commitment it gives to train a doctor up to the point of a specialist.

Whether, the State gets value for money is questionable when doctors refuse to take up postings in rural areas in district hospitals and provincial hospitals but prefer to be in urban centres. Whist base in the the urban areas, some of these doctors have all the time in the world to engage in private business and moonlight as private medicals consultants for clients. Some are also heavily involved in extra-curricular activities and you wonder whether they do spend time to practice as doctors and study to keep up with the latest trends in medicine.

 The public service rules and regulations are there for public servants like doctors to abide by and serve the people. However, I wonder whether the rules and regulations are policed at all when some of the doctors run private businesses and moonlight as medical consultants and are heavily involved in social or community activities.

 We as taxpayers regularly hear the complaints from doctors, health extension officers, nurses and other cadre of healthcare professionals about lack of resources to do their work optimally.

 We also hear their complaints about entitles not being paid or upgraded. Often the State responds to their queries. the same time, it is incumbent upon them to be professional. In the case of wayward doctors engaged in private businesses and moonlighting for others, it is time they hone up and be accountable return to the taxpayers their value for money.

 I hope the Department of Health does something about the practice of some government employed medical doctors carrying out private medical business or engage in other businesses while at the same time be remunerated by the State. If you agree with me and know instances of public servants, running private businesses while of government payroll speak out and report them. You can write to me and share your experiences. Thank you once again for reading. Send your feedback to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..