Papua New Guinea could soon benefit from Israeli specialist doctors serving voluntarily in major hospitals across the country under a proposed high-level health cooperation agreement between the two nations.
Minister for Health and National Disaster Services, Hon. Dr Billy Joseph, revealed this following what he described as a fruitful meeting with Israel’s Ambassador, Her Excellency Eynat Shlein, who heads Israel’s international development cooperation agency, MASHAV.
Dr Joseph said discussions centred on establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries’ Health Ministries to strengthen medical education, specialist healthcare services, emergency medical response and professional training for PNG health workers.
The proposed partnership would create opportunities for leading Israeli medical universities to collaborate with the newly established PNG University of Medicine and Health Sciences in medical education, specialist training and professional development.
Dr Joseph said discussions also explored potential partnerships between internationally recognised Israeli specialist hospitals, including Sheba Medical Center, and PNG’s major referral hospitals, particularly Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) and Angau Memorial General Hospital in Lae.
Such arrangements could allow Israeli specialist doctors and other medical professionals to undertake voluntary assignments in PNG hospitals while providing opportunities for Papua New Guinean health professionals to pursue advanced medical training at Israeli universities and specialist institutions.
The Minister said the discussions also covered strengthening PNG’s emergency medical services through technical cooperation with Israel.
He recalled his visit in 2023 to the headquarters of Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency pre-hospital medical and blood services organisation, where he gained valuable insights into emergency medical response systems.
Dr Joseph said PNG was currently working towards establishing its own National Emergency Medical Authority (NEMA), developing a national pre-hospital care policy and establishing a National Ambulance Service.
He said Israel had agreed to provide technical support towards these initiatives, including assistance to the PNG Defence Force Medical Directorate in tactical medical care.
The proposed cooperation is expected to support PNG’s efforts to strengthen emergency medical response capabilities, improve specialist healthcare services and develop a highly skilled national health workforce.
Dr Joseph indicated that the discussions represented an opportunity for PNG to draw on Israel’s expertise in medical technology, specialist healthcare, emergency medicine and professional training.
The proposed MoU would provide a framework for further engagement between the two countries’ health ministries and relevant medical institutions, subject to formal agreement and implementation arrangements.