By ESWIN PLESIO
HEALTH Minister Dr Billy Joseph says Papua New Guinea must strengthen its basic health services before directing more resources and attention towards higher-level hospitals.
Speaking at the 25th National Health Conference at APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Dr Joseph said the country had made progress in the health sector over the past 50 years, but significant challenges remained in delivering services at the community level.
He said too many people, particularly those living in rural and remote areas, still struggled to access basic health services.
Dr Joseph said about 86 per cent of Papua New Guineans live in rural and remote areas, making primary health care critical to improving health outcomes.
“Primary health care brings essential services closer to communities,” he said.
He said the Government’s aim of ensuring every citizen could access essential health services within one hour of their home could only become a reality if lower-level health facilities were properly equipped and functioning.
Dr Joseph questioned whether the country’s health reforms and public spending were producing the results people expected.
He said indicators such as facility births, immunisation and communicable disease control remained below acceptable levels.
The Minister also raised concerns about the Provincial Health Authority system, saying some lower-level health facilities had closed or were operating below the required standard while resources continued to support Level 4 and Level 5 hospitals.
He said Level 1, 2 and 3 facilities must be functioning properly before higher-level hospitals were expected to take on more specialised services.
Dr Joseph said hospitals such as Port Moresby General Hospital should focus on specialist and tertiary care instead of carrying the workload of lower-level facilities.
He called for clear national standards to measure the performance of health facilities and define what services should be provided at each level.
Dr Joseph said improving the health system was not the responsibility of the National Department of Health or PHAs alone.
He said health agencies, training institutions, regulatory bodies, churches, development partners and the private sector all had a role to play.
The Minister urged participants at the conference to move beyond discussions and identify what was working, what needed to change and who would be responsible for taking action.