THE Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority (SHPHA) has marked another milestone in improving healthcare, opening four new facilities in Mendi to bring better and more specialised services to the people of the province.
The new facilities include an offsite outpatient clinic, a breast and cervical cancer clinic, a modern operating theatre at Mendi Provincial Hospital, and the introduction of the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) to strengthen financial and budget management.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, SHPHA Chairman Augustine Mano said the projects reflect the authority’s commitment to providing quality healthcare and are in line with the National Health Plan, which aims to upgrade all provincial hospitals to Level 5 referral hospitals by 2030.
Mr. Mano said the authority’s progress had been driven by good governance, financial discipline and strong partnerships with the National Government, Oil Search Foundation, MRDC and Petroleum Resources Kutubu.
He said the four projects were completed at a cost of K3 million, funded by the National Government and Petroleum Resources Kutubu.
Mr. Mano highlighted that the authority had delivered the projects without financial support from the Southern Highlands Provincial Government or district development authorities.
“The facilities we are building are from the funds provided by the National Government to the SHPHA. It’s the same funding all provincial health authorities receive each year. The difference is good governance, discipline and accountability,” he said.
He also praised health workers and management for their commitment, saying the board’s role was to support their efforts in delivering quality services.
Mr. Mano said the authority’s accounts had been audited up to 2025 and submitted to the Auditor General, demonstrating its commitment to transparency and sound financial management.
The opening of the breast and cervical cancer clinic expands the range of specialist services already available at Mendi Provincial Hospital, which include kidney haemodialysis, CT scan and psychiatric services.
More than 7,000 women have already undergone cervical cancer screening through the hospital’s program, with about 1,200 receiving preventive treatment after early detection.
Established in 2016, the SHPHA manages one provincial hospital, three district hospitals, 10 health centres, three urban clinics and 119 aid posts across Southern Highlands. It was recognised as one of Papua New Guinea’s top-performing provincial health authorities in the 2022 Sector Performance Annual Review.