The Ministry of Health has made an open call for members of the private medical fraternity to submit an "expression of interest" for 'The Public-Private Partnership Program' at the General Outpatients and Emergency Department at the Moto'otua national hospital. 

All interested general practitioners have until Friday, 21 April to make submissions. 

The mantra behind the E.O.I., according to the statement from the health ministry, is to improve access to efficient, safe, and quality healthcare services to improve the health status of the Samoan population, in line with its vision of “A Healthy Samoa”.

Based on the M.O.H. Corporate Plan FY2020/21 – FY 2022/23, the proposed Program will address goals such as strengthening health system governance for Universal health coverage through the effective provision of quality and safe health care services by increasing the number of patients triaged within an hour, reducing waiting times for patients in areas of high patient traffic and increasing the ratio of patients to doctors in key frontline areas of the Healthcare Service. 

One of the objectives of the programme is to ensure all Samoans have equitable access to efficient, safe, and quality healthcare services, reducing waiting times within the front-line departments, and ensuring all patients are seen in a timely manner.

The partnership hopes to meet the urgent needs of staff shortage within General Outpatients and Emergency Department(s) and to work collaboratively with existing in-service doctors and the related healthcare professional staff in addressing gaps in healthcare provision within these key frontline areas outlined.

The interested applicants are required to perform general (including family) medicine and emergency physician type of work for patients within the A.P.C.C. and or Emergency Department for up to three (3) days per week from either 7 am to 3 pm or from 2 pm to 10 pm.

Alternative work options can also be considered for shorter work periods e.g. 4 hours per day split across several days per week.

They are also required to consult patients within A.P.C.C. and or E.D. by providing clinical assessment, necessary investigation, evaluation, and a sound treatment care plan.

"Locum duties shall not exceed more than 64 hours a fortnight," the E.O.I. from M.O.H. stated. 

"A locum is permitted to work beyond the 32 hours in any one week upon approval by the DG (with advice from the DDG‟s) upon recommendation by the HR Unit."

A locum is expected to provide fortnightly reporting of clinical activities including patient results of investigations and clinical assessment, referring patients for inpatient management or specialised care. 

In relation to qualifications and experience, the interested candidates must be a graduate from a recognised tertiary medical institution with an M.B.B.S. and relevant post-graduate qualification.

He or she must have worked for a minimum of 5 to 10 years within the healthcare service – either in the public or private sector and holds a current practicing certificate to practice Medicine and Surgery and is a registered Medical Practitioner under the Samoa Medical Practitioners Act 2007. 

They should also be up to date with continuous learning sessions with demonstrated skills and competencies and must have a clean Police record and not be a subject of any criminal investigation. 

The contracted locum will be remunerated based on a "Fee for Service" Arrangement at SAT$ 40.00 per patient.