PNG ALLIED HEALTH WORKERS ASSOCIATION

Official Information Site



The Association

Papua New Guinea Allied Health Workers Association (PNGAHWA) was initially

Established in 2002

as a union for the Allied Health Professionals of Papua New Guinea.



IO 164

Registered Industrial Organisation

The Association is duly registered with the Office of the Industrial Registrar in compliance with the Industrial Organizations Act 1962 (IO Act1962) (Chapter 173) on

23rd April 2004

as a registered industrial organisation IO 164.



Vision

Foster and establish a union society for all health working professionals and their families to live and work with dignity in a fulfilling and rewarding environment.

Mission

To be united by the belief of dignity and worth in the Allied Health Professionals and their professional services we engage reveals our dedication to improving the lives of workers and their families creating a more unprejudiced and humane society.






Its basic objective is to represent and liaise with the National Department of Health - NDoH and Department of Personnel Management - DPM for the interest and welfare of its members concerning industrial matters.







L-R: George Lavett , Gilbert Pajole, Alex-ander Soma—PNGAHWA General Secretary, Robin Baloiloi, Natasha Utubasi, Mrs Helen Saleu — Industrial Registrar , Natasha Momo, Patricia Kapigeno, Ilikis Puipui—Deputy Industrial registrar, Donald Vaso.




Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

Since its inception, the Association has operated under the guidance of an interim executive within the corridors of Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) and have so far negotiated an industrial


Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) being the 25th August 2010 Awards.


This MOA remains legally binding to-date and is currently under review by the new executive which were duly elected in December 2017.

Under the guidance of the new Executive Committee, PNGAHWA has taken on a challenging new look approach through a series of consultative meetings with various but experienced unions in the industry, the Industrial Relations Section of the National Department of Health (NDOH) and the Office of the Industrial Registrar in order to set its priorities and pave a pathway forward for the union.








Compliance

Office of the
Industrial Registrar (OIR)


The Office of the Industrial Registrar (OIR) from within the Department of Labour & Industrial Relations (DLIR) is the authorised regulatory office that keeps a register and records of all unions and affiliates.
OIR enforces and ensures that all unions and affiliates comply with the regulations and requirements as stipulated in the Industrial Organisations Act 1962 (IO Act 1962) Worldwide.
In the case of PNGAHWA, it was found to be non-compliant and in breach of many of the requirements and therefore imposed the need of urgency upon the new PNGAHWA executive to become a fully compliant affiliate.

Left: Industrial Registrar - Mr. Industrial Registrar Left: Assistant Registrar - Mrs. Deputy Industrial Registrar - Lady Right



Compliance Issues

Left: Board Director - Henry Morgan (Bsc.Dentistry) On-the-Right:PNGAHWA (President)- Simonson Vaieke (Anesthesia)


Non-Compliance matters addressed were:

  1. Establishment of a registered union office
  2. Non availability of original registration certificate - to be reissued by OIR
  3. Registration of new executives per returning officer’s election results report with OIR
  4. Registration of General Secretary with OIR
  5. Annual Audit Report
  6. Quarterly membership listing & location report to OIR







1. Establishment of Registered Union Office

This facility is a basic prerequisite requirement under provisions of the IO Act 1962, whereby it provides a physical location and enables access for the members and other contacts in the running and general operations of the union. It also makes it easy for inspectors from OIR to carry out regular routine inspections in ensuring that PNGAHWA is fully compliant.

The office is currently managed by the General Secretary, an Executive Officer and a membership officer.

Location

PNGAHWA now has an established registered office located at Section 42 Allotment 117, Laurabada Avenue, 3 mile, Port Moresby, National Capital District. Apart from establishing set up of a registered office under the guidance of the new executive committee and the General Secretary other matters were also addressed such as;

PNGAHWA and INDUSTRIAL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE staff pose for this group photo after the formal inspection of PNGAHWA office and records in August 2018. L-R: George Lavett , Gilbert Pajole, Alex-ander Soma—PNGAHWA General Secretary, Robin Baloiloi, Natasha Utubasi, Helen Saleu—Industrial Registrar, Natasha Momo, Patricia Kapigeno, Ilikis Puipui—Deputy Industrial registrar, Donald Vaso.



Registration

PNGAHWA certificate of registration with OIR had to be re-issued because the original had been misplaced by the previous interim executives.
The certificate must be displayed at all times in all unions and affiliates registered offices.

PNGAHWA is a registered affiliate with OIR bearing registration number Industrial Organisation (IO 164).

Other registration matters included registration of all executives based on the returning officer’s PNGAHWA election results from its inaugural general elections conducted in October – November 2017 and the appointment of the General Secretary.






Membership

PNGAHWA membership comprises of five (5) Allied Health Professional Disciplines


Anaesthesia

Anestheticians & Anesthesiologists

Dental

Dentists, Dental Therapists & Dental Surgeons.

Pharmacists

Pharmacists, Pharmacy Lab Technicians.

Physio Therapists

Physiologists & Physio Therapists

Medical Imaging & Radio Therapy

Imaging & Radio Technician

These disciplines are clinically orientated and deal directly with patient care. The roles of these discipline are prominent and collateral to the functions of doctors and nurses, thus enhances effective delivery of medical services. Eligibility for membership has initially been focused on these five (5) disciplines in the past. However, under the current PNGAHWA rules and constitution review, this rule has been proposed to be open for other minor disciplines and individuals within the health sector. A membership database has been developed and put in place to keep track of its members’ personal and professional bio-data and subscription records. PNGAHWA is currently carrying out an update of all current members’ information to store in the database. Such records are vital in terms of providing specific report types at any given point in time. The database has been linked to this web site.





PNG ALLIED HEALTH WORKERS ASSOCIATION
P.O BOX 431
WAIGANI, N.C.D