Remote districts struggle to deliver basic services

DELIVERING of basic government services to remote and scattered districts and communities in Papua New Guinea is difficult.

This remoteness associated with much of the development grants are consumed by the transportation- both air and sea.

This is a grave concern to Maritime Provinces and districts including hinterlands of PNG highlands, where lack of services is real, thus no government presence in the locality to provide essential services.

We have dilapidated infrastructures, shortages of medical supplies and drugs, basic health equipment, education facilitates, many teachers and health workers migrated to towns and cities because of poor road network.

The national government focuses only in urban areas and forgets about rural villages and communities where bulk of the population lives.

The Madang’s Middle Ramu district is of no exceptions. This was reflected in their 2019 District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) annual financial expenditure report furnished to the Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) last week.

The Middle Ramu district administration faces a lot of challenges when they want to organise logistics basically to transport building materials for health, education and infrastructure projects.

Local MP Jonny Alonk said it’s district administration normally charter MAF flights from Mt Hagen to transport building materials to those designated project sites in the district.

He said this is a huge expense, little funding front-loaded from the national government is not enough to cater for such geographically isolated districts like Middle Ramu.

“Despite its remoteness we manage to deliver some impact projects that our people can benefit in the areas of health, education, law & order,” he said.

Some of the impact projects include:

• Simbai High School
• Watebu Elementary School
• Miami Elementary School
• Water Supply Projects
• Law & Order- Rural Lock up, court and police administrations
• Health Centres
• District/LLG markets and associated works.

Mr Alonk, who is also the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade thanked the national government for making available DSIP grants annually so vital basic services can be delivered.

He also thanked the government for building Baiyer – Madang Highway which cuts through Middle Ramu district that will open up economic opportunities and other services.