THE National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA), with support from WaterAid PNG, has successfully completed the first round of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) training across NCD’s urban health facilities and Gerehu General Hospital.
The two-month training, conducted from July to August 2026, was delivered directly at each health facility, allowing clinicians, nurses, cleaners, support workers, administrators and other staff to participate.
The facility-based approach represents a shift from previous years and reflects NCDPHA’s commitment to ensuring that IPC is understood and practiced as a shared responsibility across all areas of healthcare.
Training was conducted at Nine Mile, Six Mile, Gordons, Morota, Tokarara, St. Therese Hohola, Metoreia Urban Health Centre, Lawes Road, Badili, Vabukori and Pari clinics, as well as Pools A, B and C at Gerehu General Hospital.
The training covered four key areas.
The first module focused on the advocacy and socialisation of the PNG National IPC Guidelines 2025, including the vision, mission and goals of the National IPC Policy 2021–2031 and how these can be applied at facility level.
The second module addressed WASH in Healthcare Facilities, with particular emphasis on preparedness during the ongoing El Niño-related drought conditions. Participants were trained to calculate water consumption requirements, strengthen water purification and disinfection practices in line with WHO standards, and improve hygiene practices.
The third module focused on environmental health, decontamination and reprocessing, highlighting the importance of safely cleaning healthcare surfaces, furniture and medical equipment to protect patients, healthcare workers and visitors.
The final module covered healthcare waste management, reinforcing safe practices from waste generation through to treatment and disposal. Standard operating procedures and awareness posters were also used to support staff understanding and compliance.
NCD Provincial Health Authority Chief Executive Officer,
Dr Robin Oge, said the training marked an important step in strengthening infection prevention and control across the province’s health facilities.
“This training marks a turning point in how we strengthen infection prevention and control across our facilities,” Dr Oge said.
He said delivering IPC and WASH training directly to clinics and hospital wards ensured that every staff member, regardless of their role, had the knowledge and skills needed to protect themselves, their patients and their communities.
“IPC is everyone’s responsibility, and NCDPHA will continue to champion these standards to deliver safe, dignified and quality healthcare for all,” Dr Oge said.
NCDPHA management also acknowledged WaterAid PNG for its continued support and contribution to the training program, noting that the partnership was instrumental to the successful delivery of the initiative.
The health authority said it would continue integrating IPC and WASH practices into daily clinical and operational activities as part of its commitment to improving healthcare standards, protecting patients and staff, and delivering safe and quality health services across the National Capital District.