Health & Education
From The Report: Papua New Guinea 2014
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Health care in PNG is poised to see major changes. Perhaps the most significant recent development has been the introduction of fee-free health care. The government committed $8.13m to the programme in 2014, which began officially on February 23 of that year. The refurbishment of Port Moresby General Hospital is receiving major government support, as it is hoped that the renewed facility will act as a catalyst for improvements throughout the country. PNG needs to put the resources being committed to good use while they are available and not waste the political capital that is being expended. If the planned reforms are successful, they could have a widespread social and economic impact. Meanwhile the government continues to view the improvement of the education system as a top priority. It has set aside $4.06m in 2014 for the Higher Education Institution Recapitalisation programme, which aims to establish a task force to improve university infrastructure. To address the shortage of teachers in PNG the government is increasing salaries and is actively recruiting foreign staff. The country is committed to the sector in terms of political will and increasing expenditure, and over time schools have seen great improvements as resource wealth enters the economy and supports the national budget. This chapter contains interviews with Pascoe Kase, Secretary of Health; Grant Muddle, CEO, Port Moresby General Hospital; and Joe Williams Lalie, Executive Director, International Education Agency.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Greater government focus and financing is helping to reform the health care sector
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While Papua New Guinea continues to contend with a number of health issues related to both environmental risks and provision of care, recent progress suggests that positive changes are in the works. The prime minister has made this sector a top priority and relevant efforts are starting to pay off. Sufficiently financing the sector may be a challenge, as will delivery of resources; however, health care is receiving considerable attention and early signs suggest that this attention will likely produce…

Interview

OBG talks to Pascoe Kase, Secretary of Health
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Interview:Pascoe Kase What will the implementation of universal health care mean for PNG’s citizens, and how do you anticipate introducing the changes to support it? PASCOE KASE: The Department of Health welcomes the government’s initiative to introduce universal health care in PNG. It is good news for the many marginalised people who have had difficulties accessing basic health services in the past, especially those in remote areas. I would have preferred to have the system in place…

Interview

OBG talks to Grant Muddle, CEO, Port Moresby General Hospital
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Interview:Grant Muddle How could the proposal for turning Port Moresby General Hospital into a statutory body help improve health services in Papua New Guinea? GRANT MUDDLE: Turning the hospital into a statutory body, which essentially gives you full control over the budget and the way it is spent, will cut a lot of the red tape currently present in the system. This sort of financial independence doesn’t mean that a hospital won’t have to obey the Public Finance Management Act or the…

Overview

The government is working to regain lost ground and improve overall performance
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Improving the educational system remains a top priority in Papua New Guinea. The country is committed to the sector both in terms of political will and increasing expenditure, and over time schools have seen great improvements as resource wealth enters the economy and supports the national budget. PNG has already made significant advances in recent years. In particular, the tuition-fee-free education policy was rolled out in a transparent and relatively effective manner, improving access and affordability…

Interview

OBG talks to Joe Williams Lalie, Executive Director, International Education Agency
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Interview:Joe Williams Lalie What is the significance of the recently introduced free universal education system? JOE WILLIAMS LALIE: Education has to be at the core of the national agenda if we are going to keep progressing as a nation. The introduction of a free education policy is a positive development, but actions have to follow the announcements. Even though allocations to the sector have increased substantially in the 2014 national budget, it continues to be a very low percentage of…