 Nurses in Bougainville Await Long-Due Entitlements Amid Bureaucratic Delays Frederick Kebai, President of the Papua New Guinea Nurses Association, has issued an urgent call to both the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and the National Government to resolve ongoing delays in delivering industrial award entitlements to nurses in Bougainville.
Kebai, speaking from Port Moresby, stressed that the region’s nurses, numbering approximately 300 alongside nearly 700 community health workers, have been denied their rightful benefits due to bureaucratic inefficiencies. “These frontline workers deserve their long-overdue entitlements,” he said, pointing to a tangled web of administrative obstacles between the ABG’s Department of Personnel Management and its national counterpart.  PNG’s Western Province Gets First DHERST-Accredited Nursing School [Photo supplied] In a historic development for Western Province, Papua New Guinea has opened its first Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST)-accredited nursing school at Balimo College.
Funded by the PNG Sustainable Development Program (SDP) in partnership with the Kokoda Track Foundation and Divine Word University, the Balimo College School of Nursing will offer a four-year Bachelor of General Nursing, aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery in the province.  Papua New Guinea's National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop has officially received the Clinical Services Plan for the proposed Level 5 Provincial Specialist Hospital from the National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA) Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robin Oge.
The presentation took place before the District Development Authorities of NCD, marking a key step towards the establishment of the new hospital, which is set to be built at Tete in the Port Moresby Northwest district. The Clinical Services Plan outlines the full range of clinical and support services that will be available, and is designed around principles of energy sustainability and patient accessibility.  PNG’s Bougainville Gains Emergency Care Lifeline with New Defibrillator from BMI The first working defibrillator in Bougainville has been donated to Buka General Hospital by Bougainville Minerals Investment (BMI), marking a breakthrough in emergency cardiac care for PNG’s autonomous region.
The defibrillator was hand-delivered from Brisbane by BMI Chairman Paul Ryan, who responded to urgent calls from hospital doctors regarding the lack of functioning life-saving equipment. Discussions between BMI and the hospital staff led to the decision. CEO Dr. Tommy Wotsia was grateful for the support, saying the machine would be vital for reviving patients suffering from cardiac arrest. “This is a life-saving tool, and we don’t have another one in working condition,” he said.  PNG Minister for Health Elias Kapavore has warned that Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs) failing to meet national standards may face serious consequences, including the suspension or replacement of their CEOs and board members. The warning follows an audit that revealed widespread underperformance and a lack of accountability among several PHAs across the country.
Speaking during a health conference in Port Moresby last week, Minister Kapavore expressed concern over poor healthcare delivery, low immunisation rates, mismanagement of funds, and inadequate reporting by PHAs. “Health is a basic human right, and the government is committed to ensuring all Papua New Guineans receive the care they deserve,” he stated.  Kompiam Medical Patrol Team Reaches Remote Malaumanda Community Around 60 patients in the isolated Malaumanda region, located on the border of Enga and East Sepik provinces, received much-needed medical attention during a recent outreach by the Kompiam Hospital patrol team, according to a community health worker.
Community health worker Terence Baiang reported that many residents were treated for ailments such as coughs, body aches, and skin conditions during the team’s three-day visit. He explained that locals are usually informed a week in advance so they can prepare, including clearing the jungle airstrip for the aircraft landing.  Betel Nut Linked to Increased Heart Risk Among Youths, Warns Cardiologist Papua New Guinea cardiologist Professor Isi Kevau has raised concerns that younger people are increasingly at risk of heart attacks and other health complications due to betel nut consumption. He said hospitals are now seeing more young, otherwise healthy individuals reporting chest pains – a common symptom of heart attacks.
During a recent health meeting with the World Health Organization, Professor Kevau highlighted that while communicable diseases like tuberculosis are on the decline, non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks and strokes have sharply increased since the 1990s. He noted that in Port Moresby alone, one in every ten deaths at hospitals is now attributed to heart-related complications, particularly among teenagers and young adults.  PNG Health Minister Warns Against Illegal Street Sale of Medical Drugs PNG Health Minister Elias Kapavore has raised serious concerns over the growing trend of medical drugs being sold illegally on the streets, warning that such practices put lives at risk and undermine the healthcare system.
Speaking out following the arrest of four individuals in Goroka for allegedly selling prescription medications, Kapavore stressed that drugs such as antibiotics and anti-malarials are procured by the Government for public hospitals and clinics — not for private street sales. “We’re seeing an alarming rise in the street sale of medical supplies,” Kapavore said. “These medicines are meant for patients in hospitals. The Government didn’t spend millions so people could sell them on the roadside.”  Enga’s Sopas Hospital Expands with State-of-the-Art Surgical Complex Enga’s Sopas District Hospital is undergoing a major transformation with the construction of a state-of-the-art surgical complex, aimed at improving healthcare delivery for thousands of patients across the province and surrounding areas. The new duplex facility is expected to significantly enhance the hospital’s surgical capabilities and service reach.
The new complex will feature a four-room operating theatre on the ground floor, while the upper level will accommodate consultation clinics, a doctors’ office, and a training and conference room. This development will replace the aging two-room theatre that has served the hospital for years under mounting pressure from increasing patient numbers.  Secretary for the Department of Personnel Management, Ms. Taies Sansan Secretary for the Department of Personnel Management, Ms. Taies Sansan, has raised alarm over the worsening shortage of health workers in Papua New Guinea, warning that the country’s health system is buckling under the pressure. Speaking at the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, she revealed that although there are 20,929 health workers nationwide, this number is inadequate when compared to the population’s growing healthcare needs.
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