The National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCD PHA) is moving away from reactive measures to focus on long-term planning as it finalizes its Strategic Health Services Development Plan 2027–2036. 

To map out the next decade of healthcare, the authority held a final consultation meeting with local District Development Authorities at the Gateway Hotel on Friday, June 19, 2026. The meeting wrapped up a year of planning that included four major conferences with development partners.

NCD Governor Powes Parkop attended the meeting and spoke candidly about past failures in public service, calling for an end to uncoordinated projects. 

“Up to now, we have been operating on an ad hoc basis. All the MPs are doing their own thing; they’re coming up with plans that are not based on proper analysis, but just for good political outcomes. To make us look good, feel good, and sound good. That’s not a good way of planning. We must know what the challenges, in terms of health, that we face, with the population that we face and think about the projection into the future,” Parkop stated.

The Governor explained that the city's fast-growing population requires a health system that can handle current shortages while preparing for future needs. Pointing to current struggles with water and electricity, he noted how easily public services can fall behind when planning stagnates.

“Yes, the plan must be able to meet our needs now and our reality but importantly, it must be able to test the times and be able to meet the needs of the future,” he said.

Parkop challenged his colleagues to plan ahead to avoid a major breakdown in services later.

“We are taking things for granted. We are sleepwalking to 2050. By the time we arrive in 2050, we’ll be faced with multiple crises of enormous proportion. Unless we bite the bullet now and start to plan for the future,” he warned.