Health & Education

Papua New Guinea’s health care system is delineated in the National Health Plan 2011-20, which places a distinct emphasis on the provision of basic care for the country’s poor and rural population. A new free primary care programme, launched by the government in 2014, eliminates all user fees from medical centres and clinics, with the aim of making basic health care free for all Papua New Guineans. The shortfalls in PNG’s health sector are numerous and the reasons complex. Many of the challenges are linked to obstacles in other sectors, such as transport, infrastructure, manufacturing, education and security. It will be difficult for the health sector to improve without concurrent improvements in these areas. The international community is contributing and playing its part to help PNG improve its health care delivery, facilities and services, but there is room for more activity, especially from the private sector. As PNG sees its population increase, the demand for education at all levels is also rising. The country is starting to build the infrastructure and train the educators necessary to cater for this large group of students. However, the sector is still in its early days, and outside assistance and investment is very much welcome in terms of funding and managerial assistance.

This chapter contains an interview with Dr Amyna Sultan, CEO, Pacific International Hospital.