Professor Siba visits PNGIMR Madang
Director of PNGIMR Professor Peter Siba visited the PNGIMR site in Madang Last month (May) and met with staff there to address them on various issues and the running of the Vector Borne Diseases Unit in the province. The following is an account of what he discussed with the staff in Yagaum.
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Professor Siba talking to staff in Madang. |
Firstly he congratulated staff and students who had completed their honours programs with the Fogarty and those who had done their honours through the MOU between UPNG and PNGIMR and had just graduated from UPNG.
He told staff that he would support any person to go for training if he saw that he/she needed training in the particular area but he also warned that if anyone doesn’t let the institute know and make their own arrangements for training, then he will not have any part of it.
“There is a system in place. If you want to go your own way to get training, then that’s up to you, I will not have any part of it,” he warned.
Director making sure PNGIMR runs on smoothly.
Professor Siba also mentioned that within the first six months of his directorship he managed to make sure that the institute did not collapse after other directors had left.
And that was evident of him getting K35 million, K20 million from AusAID and K15 million from the PNG government.
“So at the moment with this commitment of money from AusAID and the PNG government, the national focus is now on the institute of Medical research,” he said.
He told staff that they could be proud that they are staff of PNGIMR because the focus of the country is now on the Institute of Medical Research.
So whatever they do as researchers in their work place or outside, they must always remember that they are staff of the Institute of Medical Research.
“We have to maintain the good reputation of the institute. If the government is now going to focus on us, then we have to live up to that expectation, so you must be careful about how you carry yourself around. People are looking at us. Your conduct must be appropriate when you’re using IMR vehicles and when you walk around. I don’t want the institute to have a bad name, which may hinder us from getting funding and recognition from the government and donor agencies. ” he said
“At the end of the day it all leads to us having money to be able to do projects, research activities and you are able to have a job to support yourself and your family.”
He assured staff that under his directorship, no one would end up jobless.
He said that he’ll make sure funding comes, whether international or locally, and this will show that Papua New Guineans can do it.
40th Colloquium
The director also discussed with them the 40th Colloquium.
He said in 1993 PNGIMR held a colloquium in Madang to celebrate its 25 years of existence and next year PNGIMR will celebrate its forty years of existence.
“The colloquium will be held in Goroka, from the 18th of June to the 22nd of June. It will involve the first 3 days of scientific presentations and then sports and sight seeing. The celebration is not restricted to scientist only. So reporters, cleaners and security guards, if you can fulfill the requirements of your local fundraising committee you can also travel with everyone to Goroka. How you will be housed, and fed, that is the committees work. But I’d like every body to get together to commemorate this 40th Anniversary,” said Professor Siba
He said the colloquium will be very interesting because it will involve a lot of PNGIMR’s collaborators and former PNGIMR employees.
He said they will try there best to get back as many former IMR staff to attend the colloquium and also the former PNGIMR directors.
“The theme of the Colloquium is we’re going to look at the last 40 years of what IMR has achieved. It will be a big gathering. So in Madang Livingstone is the co chairman and the other chairman is Samson Akunaii, these are the guys I’ve delegated the work to. The committee members are John Taime, William Pomat and Martina Yambun but everybody must take part in any fundraising activities,” said Professor Siba.
He reminded staff that he’d be expecting abstracts from people and that the presentations that will be done during the colloquium will not be for outside people who have done research outside but it would all be related to work and research that has been done within the PNG Institute of Medical research.
43rd Medical Symposium
He also mentioned that the 43rd Medical Symposium was coming up, and that he had sent notices to those who want to participate to submit their abstracts to him by the end of May.
He said the symposium will be in September from the 2nd - 7th and will be held in Port Moresby.
He said those who are late to submit their abstracts could wait for the June IMR colloquium in Goroka and present their papers there.
Land Secured Madang Town
Professor Siba assured the Madang staff that he got K1.9million from the government to bring in a grader to fill up swampy lands where PNGIMR had bought land in Madang town to build its office and laboratry complex.
“What we’re going to do afterwards is put up a fence in the area and put a house or two for security. Because if we don’t occupy the land within one year, the land lord will take it back. So that’s the first thing we are going to do,” said Professor Siba.
Final Words of Thanks
Finally Professor Siba thanked the senior staff in Yagaum for the support they had given him through out his nine months of being the director of PNGIMR.
“I want to thank Dr Ivo Mueller for looking after Vector Borne and to all the senior staff for the support you have given me to make sure that PNGIMR still maintains the reputation as one of those top institutions in Papua New Guinea and also one of those within the world because of the standard and the quality of the work we do,” said Professor Siba
“Apart from that overall I am happy with the performance of the Madang staff, and you have very strong leaders, Ivo and John, and bear in mind that I don’t talk much; I support my senior staff here. Unless there’s a reason I will go against them in anything they do I will go against them if I see that’s wrong. But if the place is well managed I’ll just support my senior staff. As usual I expect all staff to be loyal, and committed to your work,” he said.
He reminded staf that there were basic administration things which they should remember and practice.
Things like; not attending work or going late for work or going off to town for unnecessary reasons and not letting your supervisors know about things were not acceptable practices.
“By now you people should be well acquainted with rules and principals of being a good worker. I expect you to support your bosses, work properly and committee yourselves and enjoy your work. If you need anything in training go through right channels as usual,” he concluded.
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