Central Governor Rufina Peter has challenged Health Minister Elias Kapavore, over delays in releasing funds earmarked for the Central Provincial Health Authority (CPHA), questioning whether health allocations approved by Parliament are reaching the province.
The issue was raised during Question Time in Parliament when Governor Peter said funding appropriate for the CPHA had largely failed to materialize despite repeated budget commitments.
“In the years that I have been in office as Governor of Central Province, there is only one time that I signed for an amount of K15 million to be disbursed to the CPHA,” Governor Peter said.
“All the other years that the appropriation has been given for Central Health Authority, none of those funding’s were made available to the CPHA.”
The Governor said there was a disconnect between funding announced by the Government and money actually reaching provincial health authorities.
“It is very easy to stand here and say money is going, but it is not getting down to wards. It is not translating into cash in the operational accounts of these PHAs,” she said.
Governor Peter questioned the status of previous allocations, including K50 million approved for provincial health authorities and a further K25 million allocated in the 2026 Budget for the Central Provincial Hospital project.
She said the PHA was still waiting for the release of the funds.
In addition, the exchange prompted support from Abau MP Sir Puka Temu and Deputy Opposition Leader Keith Iduhu, who both raised points of order seeking clarification on whether the funds had actually been released.
Sir Puka told Parliament the question was straightforward and centered on whether appropriate funding had reached the intended recipient.
Meanwhile, Iduhu further questioned whether efforts had been made to secure the release of funds, arguing that only a small portion of previously allocated money had been disbursed.
In response, Minister Kapavore said the K50 million formed part of broader government support provided to provincial health authorities and that the government remained committed to supporting the Central Provincial Hospital project.
However, he did not provide a specific date for when the K25 million allocation would be released to the CPHA and further stated that when work commences, than funds will be released.
The parliamentary exchange highlighted ongoing concerns among Central Province leaders over funding delays affecting major health infrastructure projects and service delivery in the province.
