Papua New Guinea's Minister of Health says he is annoyed about new graduate nurses not being recruited when the country's hospitals have vacancies for them.
Michael Malabag says he blames health managers for delays and problems in registering and hiring locally qualified nurses.
He says there are at least 300 nursing vacancies in the country's hospitals and he will be looking at short term measures to recruit foreign personnel.
He denies any problems with the Ministry funding the jobs and says the blame lies with the the registration process and hospital management.
"Look I have to admit there are some complications with the process as you know the recruitment process. And I am a bit annoyed about things that are happening right now and I want to fast track what happening within bureaucratic angles especially in the recruitment process."
Michael Malabag says he also wants to make sure newly graduated doctors are recruited into the medical profession in Papua New Guinea.
