Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) continues to provide advanced, life-saving cardiovascular and interventional services through its state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory (Cath Lab), significantly reducing the need for Papua New Guineans to seek costly treatment overseas.
Service Available at the PMGH Cath Lab
The PMGH Cath Lab offers a comprehensive range of diagnostic and interventional procedures, including:
- Coronary angiogram
- Angioplasty/ Stenting
– Simple case
– Complex case
– Multi-vessel diseases
– Chronic total occlusion (CTO)
– Severe calcified lesions – Use of Rota-blator to drill the calcified lesion
- Cerebral angiogram/DSA
- Neuro-intervention for acute ischemic stroke
- Renal angiogram
- Peripheral angiogram
- Peripheral angioplasty
- Pace maker implantation – Single chamber and dual chambers
- Congenital heart disease device closure – ASD, PDA and VSD
- Balloon Valvuloplasty
– ballooning f Pulmonary valve (PV)
– PMB/PTMC for mitral stenosis,
- Embolization
– Prostate embolization
– Uterine embolization
– hemangioma
– carotid body tumor
- Alcohol ablation of tumors
Patient Numbers and Service Delivery
Since the Cath Lab commenced operations in 2021, PMGH has successfully performed approximately 2,000 procedures.
- The facility currently handles 50–60 cases per month
- This translates to an average of 500–1,000 procedures annually
- With consistent availability of consumables and resources, the Cath Lab has the capacity to increase services to 60–80 cases per month, enabling more than 1,000 procedures per year
Cost Savings for Papua New Guineans
The availability of these services locally has resulted in substantial cost savings for patients and their families.
- A simple coronary angiogram and single stent procedure in Australia or Singapore can cost between K100,000 and K150,000
- The same procedure at PMGH costs less than K10,000
- Complex cardiac procedures overseas can cost K200,000 to K300,000
- While treatment costs in countries such as India and the Philippines may be lower than Australia and Singapore, receiving care locally eliminates additional expenses related to travel, accommodation, and prolonged absence from family support
World-Class Facilities and Equipment
The PMGH Cath Lab is equipped with modern technology comparable to facilities in developed countries, including:
- Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) for detailed vessel and lesion assessment
- Â ROTAPRO system for rotational atherectomy in heavily calcified coronary lesions.
PMGH is also in the process of acquiring additional advanced equipment, including:
- Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP)
- Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) system
Specialist Expertise
The Cath Lab services are supported by highly skilled specialists, including Dr Pham Cong Nam from Vietnam, an interventional cardiologist with extensive expertise. Dr Nam is capable of performing a wide range of complex cardiac procedures that would normally require multiple subspecialists. In addition, he provides neuro-interventional and peripheral vascular procedures, significantly expanding the scope of advanced care available at PMGH.
PMGH remains committed to strengthening specialised medical services, improving access to advanced care and ensuring Papua New Guineans receive high-quality treatment within the country.