The parents of conjoined twins in Papua New Guinea have made a desperate global appeal to try to get their sons surgically separated.

Tom and Sawong were born on October 9 and are joined at the abdomen. They are being looked after in Port Moresby General Hospital’s neonatal unit.

The hospital made a u-turn on Tuesday and advised the family to remain in PNG or face one or both of them dying.

• READ MORE: ‘A long journey’: Hopes for PNG conjoined twins to receive treatment in Germany

Doctors initially explored the possibility transferring them to Australia for specialist care, but the plan fell through. They have now said surgery is too dangerous and the twins should not travel overseas.

However, sponsors are hoping to fly the twins to Germany, where a major university hospital in Freiburg is assessing their case.

Mayday call
On Thursday, the parents initiated a world-wide mayday via text, which said:

“While communications with a hospital in Germany are progressing well, we are running out of time. Would anyone know anyone globally who can take on the twins swiftly?

“We continue to reach out to hospitals and specialists in Asia, Europe, America and beyond. If the reader of this mayday can assist or connect us to those who can help, please act now.

“This is not just a plea, but a call for support, compassion and action. Lets unite to give the twins the chance they deserve. Please contact us if you want to help them through this journey on (675) 72242188 or jruh@mamamedevac.org.”

Port Moresby General Hospital’s medical director Dr Kone Sobi said multiple discussions led to their final decision.

“The underlying thing is that both twins present with significant congenital anomalies and we feel that even with care and treatment in a highly specialised unit, the chances of survival are very very slim,” Dr Sobi said.

“In fact, the prognosis is extremely bad.”

Surgery dangerous
The twins have spina bifida — a neural tube defect that affects the development of newborn’s spine and spinal cord – and share a liver, bladder and portions of their gastrointestinal tract.

Sobi said the medical complications made surgery dangerous.

“One of the twins has a congenital heart defect, the same twin also has only one kidney and we believe malformed lungs,” he said.

“So one of the twins is doing a lot of the work in terms of supplying oxygen for the heart for the other one.”

The twins’ future was unpredictable, he said.

“It’s a precarious condition for both, they both depend on each other really, where they go from here is anyone’s guess.

“In our view, as long as we provide support to them in terms of feeding them, that one of our priorities, and guarding against infection, because they are in a very difficult situation at this point in time,” he said.

Parents desperate
Jurgen Ruh, the helicopter pilot and sponsor who initially flew the newborns to Port Moresby, said the parents were getting desperate.

“They’re just trusting that something will happen for the children, they’re looking forward to care in a better facility.”

“They are aware that one or both could be lost during the operation, but they just feel at least they will have tried,” Ruh said.

He said the twins have so far battled the odds.

“The children are doing well, they’ve got minimal support, like supplementary oxygen, and they’re being fed.

“Considering that they’re not on life support and they’ve lived for one month, they have a will to live and they’ll continue living,” he said.

Air Niugini has offered to fly them as far as Singapore, but another airline willing to take them to Germany still has to be found.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Sixty four compartments of Papua New Guinea’s main mortuary have been out of service since the festive season while a new refrigerated container has also broken down, leaving the hospital looking for room while another 257 dead bodies lie unclaimed.

Port Moresby General Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr Paki Molumi confirmed with the Post-Courier that the mortuary is full and that a mass burial is expected in the next three weeks.

The storage issue at the country’s biggest hospital is recurrent despite promises and assistance from the national government, the National Capital District Commission, the NCD Provincial Health Authority, partner agencies and others.

• READ MORE: Other Port Moresby mortuary reports

The hospital’s Director of Medical Services Dr Koni Sobi said due to the ageing infrastructure, repairing these compartments was an issue.

“The cooling system of a particular container broke down last week,” he said.

“A contractor was engaged last week but they are unable to get inside and do repair work until we empty that container of all human bodies and body parts.

“The 64 compartments’ chiller in the main mortuary building have also been out of service since the festive season. There is a contractor working to repair it. However, it is a very old unit, needs replacing or a major rehabilitation work, which is undergoing this process at the moment,” Dr Sobi said.

Seven bodies lying in open
When the Post-Courier visited the mortuary on Wednesday, at least seven bodies were left lying outside in the open waiting for relatives to come forward.

Meanwhile, the unpleasant smell from the morgue has affected residents nearby.

Dr Sobi explained that the POMGEN mortuary workers had began shifting the bodies from the container where the cooling system had broken down to five other containers, however the other containers were also full.

“We have bodies in the morgue since September 2023. Currently there are 257 bodies and body parts.

“The smell is evident often when the container is opened to remove body or bodies.

“Preparations for another mass burial have commenced and expected to take place within the next 3 weeks,” he said.

The hospital is now appealing to relatives to come forward and collect bodies of their loved ones for burial.

Claudia Tally is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea and Indonesia say the economic and social ties between them are closer than ever.

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited Port Moresby last week with trade, border arrangements and education foremost on the agenda.

Widodo agreed to sponsor 2000 Papua New Guinean students to attend university in Indonesia, and pledged about US$15 million to upgrade Port Moresby’s hospital.

• LISTEN TO RNZ PACIFIC WAVES: Indonesian President’s visit to PNG
• READ MORE: Author condemns Canberra ‘collusion’ with Jakarta on West Papua atrocities
• Other West Papua reports

“This is a very, very warm, in fact, one of the warmest meetings I’ve ever had as head of state,” Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said at a joint media conference.

“We [Papua New Guinea] have not been utilising the powerhouse economy that is on the other side — the world’s 16th biggest economy right now . . . they’re our link to commerce and trade in Asia.”

On the day following the visit, Indonesia state news agency Antara reported Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan stating that Indonesia would offer training to 1000 businesses in Papua New Guinea.

Marape welcomed Widodo at Jackson’s International Airport in Port Moresby last Wednesday with a gun salute from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and a cultural blessing from traditional dancers

Elephant in the room
But one topic that wasn’t discussed was West Papua which weighs heavily among many Papua New Guineans, unsettled by the widespread reports of mistreatment of their Melanesian brethren across the border.

One media report said the authorities in Papua New Guinea had clamped down on displays of the West Papuan independence flag ahead of Widodo’s visit.

Last week, at the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Council special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, called for a humanitarian assessment in West Papua.

“The human rights situation in West Papua remains deeply concerning,” she said.

“This includes alleged harassment, arbitrary arrests, and detention of Papuans . . . that has resulted in the alleged appropriation of non-indigenous lands.”

However, many pro-independent West Papua advocates in Papua Guinea also supported the visit.

Port Moresby Governor Powes Parkop, a vocal critic of Indonesia and long-time advocate for indigenous West Papuans, said in a video statement last week that the visit was an opportunity for dialogue.

“I would like to advise the President that we, on the side on the advocacy for West Papua, are ready for talks — we want to move forward in terms of addressing this decades-long issue.

“We are open to talks and I want to invite him [President Widodo] in regard to this, to think about the future and not be defined by the past,” Parkop said.

“The past we can’t change, there is a lot of pain and there are a lot of issues and history that we are not proud of, but in the future we can redefine and make it better.”

It is a sentiment shared by fellow Papua New Guinean activist Jacob Marcos, who has participated in demonstrations against Indonesia’s role in West Papua in the past.

“Diplomatically, the PNG government has to maintain its line and discuss only the issues the Indonesian President arrives for . . . about the needs of the country,” Marcos said.

But for Papua New Guinea’s West Papuan community, the visit and generous economic agreements were a blunt reminder of Indonesia’s foreign relations prowess.

An estimated 10,000 West Papuan refugees live in Papua New Guinea, escaping a bloody conflict between armed pro-independence fighters and the Indonesian army.

The conflict has escalated over the last few months following the kidnapping of New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens by a rebel group last February 7.

Mangi Lufa-Apo is one of those refugees. He arrived in Papua New Guinea as a child after his parents fled the territory.

Lufa-Apo said he was frustrated by the sight of Pacific nations fostering ties with Indonesia, saying believed the Pacific nations should be emulating the regional solidarity that European countries were displaying with Ukraine.

“We’ve seen how European countries have rallied for Ukraine,” he said.

“The Pacific Island countries are not doing that, why are they so silent?

“There’s a genocide on their doorstep . . . I don’t know why Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands can’t just take this to the UN and tell them that there’s a genocide going on and something needs to be done about it.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The bodies of Papua New Guinean 31 infants who died between March and July last year at Port Moresby General Hospital were among 127 unclaimed bodies interred in a mass burial yesterday at the 9-Mile public cemetery.

The infants had died soon after birth — 0-7 days old — at the special care nursery but were not claimed by relatives within the first four to five days.

“Most of them are from the nursery and labour wards,” said morgue attendant Davis Angus yesterday at the mass burial site.

• READ MORE: Dead left to rot in PNG
• Other PNG public health reports

He said that of the 127 unclaimed dead bodies, 31 were infants, 48 adults and 48 amputated body parts. Normally the deceased stayed for two months two weeks before being declared unclaimed.

Angus said that about eight infants were placed and buried in one coffin — six coffins were used to bury the bodies of the 39 infants.

“The amputated are the body parts operated and removed from patients who were diabetic, had ulcers or were injured in nasty accidents,” he said.

“These come from the operating theatre.

“Two months is the maximum time for the dead bodies to be in the cool room. Two weeks is the grace period.

Second mass burial
“We conduct mass burial when we receive no notice from the relatives of the deceased.

“We get approval from the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) to proceed with a mass burial. It depends on the NCDC.

“If they delay, than we keep the bodies till whenever.”

These bodies now buried were unclaimed from March 1 to July 31 of last year.

“This is the second mass burial,” Angus said.

“The first one was conducted in December.

“We do mass burial to create space. Currently there is not enough space to keep the deceased bodies.

“In a day, four to five deceased [bodies] are taken to the morgue and six to seven are taken out by their relatives for decent burials. Weekly it is roughly 10 -15 that leave the morgue and 15 to 20 are received.”

The mass burial yesterday was prompted by a public outcry on both social and mainstream media when photos of 20 unclaimed bodies at the layout went viral and hit the front page of the PNG Post-Courier.

“The morgue is extremely crowded,” said Port Moresby General Hospital’s chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi.

Phoebe Gwangilo is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s biggest referral hospital has reached a crisis point as the covid-19 pandemic positivity rate surged drastically to 85 percent yesterday.

Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi in the National Capital District (NCD) has revealed that three children with covid-19 had died three days ago.

He also said yesterday that the hospital had recorded the highest deaths on arrival — 50 on Monday, 40 on Tuesday and 30 on Wednesday.

• READ MORE: ‘Ground Zero’ in Goroka where the gloom of death hangs in the air
• Lockdown considered for PNG’s capital
• Other PNG covid crisis reports

This was a sign that the hospital was reaching a crisis point with services teetering on collapse unless they are immediately given more support.

“PMGH now we have reached a crisis point. The first surge we were able to manage, the second surge we were able to manage but this third surge which is the delta variant is very aggressive, and we are reaching a very critical term,” he said.

“Aggressive means in the first surge we saw a lot of older people getting infected, and so with the second surge.

“This one, we are getting very young people — we lost three kids three days ago. This surge is not discriminating with anyone, its affecting everybody.”

Another dilemma
The hospital is also faced with another dilemma — this time over dead bodies that urgently require money and paper work to be completed to pave the way for their burial.

The deceased include a staggering 300-plus dead bodies with many of them covid-19 related cases and the hospital does not know where it will put the new bodies that are coming out from its covid-19 wards.

Dr Molumi also said 94 of their medical staff were infected with the virus, 52 medical and 42 nursing staff of the hospital had been infected by the virus. They must be given days off for home isolation, further reducing manpower.

“We are faced with a crisis where cobvid patients are presenting in large numbers with shortness of breath requiring manpower to assist,” he said.

“The few staff left are overworked and fatigued and we need to recruit more staff urgently.

“Our staff are facing unprecedented mental health challenges, as we witness death tolls never seen in the history of our hospital.”

“Our AusMat triage tent in front of the PMGH is full, emergency department is full, the isolation ward is full, the covid ward is full and all other beds in different sections, including the maternity wing allocated to covid are also full with covid-19 patients.

‘Dying before reaching hospital’
“People are dying without reaching the hospital. Our mortuary recorded 50 deaths on admission on Monday, 40 deaths on admission on Tuesday and 30 deaths on admission today, with more expected tonight.

“We have never recorded such a high number of deaths on admission.

“The morgue is filled, with bodies packed on top of one another. Right now, 300 plus bodies are at the morgue.

“Three more refrigerated containers have been installed to store dead bodies, but this is not enough. Some bodies were left outside for days because we just don’t have space in the morgue.

“A mass burial of 200 bodies is being planned this week to create more space. The bodies are both covid positive and unclaimed non-covid,” he said.

“So we as the city’s hospital serving over a million population in the national capital district, Central Province as well as parts of Gulf — we are reaching a crisis point.

Matt Cannon, chief executive of St John Ambulance, also said the service was in crisis.

“I think it’s fair to say that the ambulance service at this stage is in a crisis level,” he said.

“Challenges they need to cater for increasing number of patients… our ambulance service is also seeing a stretch!”

Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier journalist.

Papua New Guinea’s main hospital emergency chief has clarified the tragic death of a female patient dying while trying to access oxygen.

The head of the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) emergency department, Dr Sam Yockopua, said the patient died while trying to access oxygen canisters in an outdoor area of the emergency wing.

Speaking to EMTV News, Dr Yockopua said the emergency area was in the middle of decontamination due to positive cases at the emergency department on that day.

• READ MORE: 114 Port Moresby Hospital staff test positive as PNG covid crisis worsens
• A catastrophe looms with PNG’s covid crisis
• PNG to adopt ‘nationwide isolation strategy’

He said that there had been four asthmatic cases and they were put outside on oxygen-driven nebulisers.

The patient, whose picture went viral on social media, had terminal post-TB bronchiectasis with a reactive airway that required nebulisers.

Dr Yockopua said the unnamed patient had died while trying to retain oxygen.

He said it was a “chaotic day”, full of patients and that many of his staff were covid-19 positive and had been isolated.

Dr Yockopua added that while the need for health services during this time was massive, there was only a limited number of health workers on duty to cater for this huge demand.

Asia Pacific Report publishes EMTV News articles with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s biggest referral hospital in the country, Port Moresby General (PMGH) is seeing a massive increase of covid-19 cases both from its staff and patients.

Chief executive Dr Paki Molumi has confirmed that 114 of the hospital staff have tested positive to covid-19 which is almost the half of the hospital staff.

Dr Molumi said the hospital has allowed those confirmed with covid-19 to be isolated for two weeks and come back for work after their isolation period is over.

• READ MORE: A catastrophe looms with PNG’s covid crisis
• PNG to adopt ‘nationwide isolation strategy’

“Our staff have undergone full medical examination,” he said.

“Those who have core underline diseases and the older ones have been put in the back, away from the frontline to keep them safe.”

Dr Molumi clarified that most the hospital staff contracted covid-19 from their communities and not from the hospital.

“About 70 percent of them have got the disease from the community which means that there is a wide spread of the disease in our communities.”

He said testing was the only way to determine how far and wide covid-19 is spreading.

“We are picking up more of the cases among our staff because we are doing testing every day.”

Besides the numbers rapidly increasing among the staff at the PMGH, the staff have undergone training to stay mentally prepared and readily be available for a covid-19 situation like this prior to the surge currently experienced.

“The staff who have been confirmed with COVID-19 were isolated for two weeks and they return to work after that.

“This is the good thing about POM GEN staff, they are willing to take on the challenges despite the situation and move forward to serve the population.”

Christine Kildi is a reporter from PNG FM’s PNG Haus Bung.

A medical academic has warned the Papua New Guinea government to immediately bring in more than 680,000 doses of covid-19 vaccines because urban health services will collapse if the spike in cases continues.

Professor Glen Mola, who correctly predicted last July that the country should brace for a spike in cases in the ensuing months, said the priority was to “slow the epidemic” as much as possible.

He is head of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of PNG’s School of Medicine and Health Science, and the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH).

• READ MORE: PNG approves AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine
• Gary Juffa: People, covid is real … and dangerous. I know, I’m recovering

“We hope that we can slow the epidemic as much as possible,” Professor Mola said yesterday.

“But if there are too many sick people with respiratory symptoms presenting on any given day, then clearly they cannot all be just allowed to pile into the emergency department of the PMGH and the outpatients of the urban clinics.

“If there are just too many for the nurses and doctors to deal with, what are they to do?

“I want to see the vaccine here as soon as possible because the earlier we get the vaccine, the more lives (especially of older people and those with co-morbidities) will be saved.

‘Take notice of health advice’
“Everyone should start taking notice of health advice because by ignoring it, you are risking your own life and the lives of those around you – especially your seniors.”

Professor Mola told The National that the 684,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine were urgently needed in the country to protect the health system.

He said the number of doses mentioned would cover the front-line health workers and older people with co-morbidities. He suggested that some MPs might want to be in front of the queue as well to show “leadership”.

He said that with the spike, the lives of elderly citizens and those with co-morbidities were at a very high risk of succumbing to covid-19.

He called on young people to not wander around the entire day because their chances of picking up the virus and spreading it to older family members were high.

Meanwhile, the PMGH is prioritising its clinical services over the next two weeks due to the covid-19 spike.

Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said the action had to be taken because of the increasing number of workers testing positive.

“The main objective is to mobilise staff into areas greatly affected as a result of staff [being] quarantined and [in] isolation,” he said.

Action at a glance
Services to be affected include:

• CONSULTATION clinic will be closed, with only urgent matters to be attended to;
• ONLY emergency surgeries will be performed while elective surgeries put on hold;
• EMERGENCIES with category 1-3 and referrals will be attended at the emergency department and children’s outpatient. People are advised to go to the nearest clinic and health facility in the city; and
• GYNAECOLOGY clinic will be closed and bookings rescheduled.

The antenatal clinic, TB clinic, pharmacy, dental clinic, medical and imaging services will remain open but there will be certain limitations and strict control.

National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning said that a “lockdown was [still] an option”.

“Only after we make sure we take everything into consideration including what it will do to Port Moresby and the businesses,” he said.

“I expect all individuals, communities, businesses and organisations to adhere to the protocols.”

Asia Pacific Report publishes The National articles with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s biggest hospital is straining to provide medical services to the growing population of the capital Port Moresby – with an estimated growth rate of 3 percent annually, a medical executive says.

Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said overcrowding, especially in the emergency department, was a big concern.

“The population increases at 3 percent a year yet services remain the same,” Dr Molumi said.

• READ MORE: PNG’s health system unprepared for covid-19

“There is a discrepancy between demand and supply which is reflected by the overcrowding.”

He said sometimes patients died while waiting to be attended to because of the long queue.

“The hospital serves over a million people in Port Moresby, Central and Gulf,” he said.

“Limited staff are struggling to meet the demand which reduces the quality of care given to a sick person.

Specialised care needed
“As a specialist hospital, it should be concentrating on delivering specialised care so that our people do not need to go overseas for that.

“Instead, we are taking on primary and secondary care as we do not have a separate hospital for the growing population in the city.”

The city has an estimated population of 385,000.

Dr Molumi was responding to a complaint on social media about a woman being admitted at the emergency ward on Saturday but was not attended to until Monday night.

“There is no hospital for Central and the Gulf Hospital cannot offer adequate services,” he said.

“Hence, all come to the Port Moresby General Hospital.

“The overcrowding at the emergency department and outpatients is a reflection of a defective health service we are offering to our people.”

Dr Molumi sees a separate hospital for the National Capital District Health Authority and Central to look after primary and secondary healthcare, leaving Port Moresby General Hospital to concentrate on referrals as the best solution to the overcrowding.

Right now, he said, the hospital was dealing with “everything” which was putting a strain on existing resources.

Lulu Mark is a reporter for The National. Asia Pacific Report republishes The National articles with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s Port Moresby General Hospital is scaling down its services due to covid-19 cases being detected on its premises.

The hospital chief executive officer, Dr Paki Molumi, said that since yesterday the hospital had gone into emergency mode.

“For PMGH operations, it is mandatory for all staff to wear a face mask, including anyone visiting the hospital,” Dr Molumi said.

READ MORE: Two more covid-19 cases in Port Moresby

“Since the announcement of the covid-19 case number 12 to 16, the hospital has scaled down its services.

As of yesterday, the consultation clinic has been reduced to no more than 15 patients a session.

“PSOs and respective clinics must ensure that this is implemented efficiently and crowd control adequately managed by all staff concerned with consultation clinics including security personnel,” Dr Molumi said.

“The Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) is within the PMGH. Due to infection control measures like cleaning up the entire hospital, we are into emergency mode as of today so that cleaning up takes places in Ward 2A, consultation clinic, emergency department and other parts of the hospital.”

Enabling staff assessment
Dr Molumi said surgery had been scaled down to allow staff to assess the situation in coming weeks – depending on the results all services could return to normal.

In the meantime, someg services would be affected as a result of these measures to mitigate and address the covid-19 outbreak at the hospital.

The services include pathology services. Urgent tests such as the cross-match and blood transfusion services will be maintained.

“Risk categorisation activity and decontamination of the pathology has been carried in collaboration with the Health Department and World Health Organisation (WHO) representatives on Thursday, July 16.

“Surveillance will be ongoing over the next two weeks and testing of more than 100 staff directly linked to pathology services have been carried out,” Dr Molumi said.

“Emergencies will continue, all elective surgeries will be put on hold until the situation permits.

Specialist treatment teams
“All emergency procedures and surgeries will be carried out according to individual cases as assessed by specialist treatment teams and SOP provided by the surgical, anesthetic and operating room specialists.

“All acutely ill patients coming through the emergency department will be triaged appropriately and rendered needful medical or surgical management in the wards,” he said.

“The labour ward will remain open for the duration of this emergency mode, however, some non-urgent antenatal and gyaenocological outpatient visits will be rescheduled or referred to other urban clinics in the city.”

Dr Molumi said all other essential services such as radiology, TB clinics, dental, physiotherapy, social work, Heduru, oncology and antenatal and general support services must maintain new normal safety practices for covid-19.

Grace Auka-Salmang is a PNG Post-Courier health reporter.

Papua New Guinea’s Deputy Controller of the Pandemic Act, Dr Paison Dakulala, has announced four new covid-19 cases in Port Moresby, taking the country’s confirmed cases to 15.

Dr Dakulala initially announced two positive cases and then about a couple of hours added another two.

All four cases are staff members at the Central Public Health Laboratory located at Port Moresby General Hospital.

READ MORE: Al Jazeera coronavirus live updates – Cases in US pass 3.5 million

The laboratory is responsible for carrying out the testing on the swabs to determine whether they were positive or negative.

Three of the staff members are male while one is female. All were in stable condition, and have been moved to Rita Flynn isolation and testing facility at Boroko.

Dr Dakulala revealed that after the 12th case was tested, after showing the usual signs and symptoms, and revealed to be positive, the 37 staff at the CPHL were tested, which produced the 13th, 14th and 15th confirmed cases.

The staff members are made up of three laboratory scientists who conduct GeneXpert testing for covid-19; the other is a support staff member of the laboratory.

Rapid response team deployed
Dr Dakulala also made it clear that a rapid response team, as per the usual measures, had been deployed to conduct contact tracing for those who may have came in contact with the four people.

Asked how the staff members may have contracted the disease, whether it was a breach in protocols at the laboratory or from contracting it from community transmission, Dr Dakulala said it was still unclear at this time.

Investigations would be able to determine that soon.

“The CPHL will undergo a thorough disinfection in the coming days to ensure we follow all the infection prevention and control measures,” he said.

“In the interim, testing for covid-19 samples from provinces will be done at IMR Goroka, Singapore and/or Brisbane, Australia.”

Dr Dakulala stressed the importance of following all health and safety protocols, and ensuring that citizens remain at home if they are sick and call the hotline if they show any of the signs and symptoms.

The last covid-19 case for PNG was announced on June 25 who had come into close contact with case number 10.

Thierry Lepani is a PNG Post-Courier reporter.

An unprecedented level of mismanagement of Papua New Guinea’s affairs since 2012 has caused serious health issues, including widespread suffering and preventable deaths, reports Loop PNG.

The opposition’s Shadow Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS, Joseph Yopyyopy, has called for swift and appropriate government action to prevent further deterioration of PNG’s most basic and essential health services.

He warned of “catastrophic consequences” resulting from government inaction while noting that the PNC-led government drastically cut health spending for the past three years, including 2017.

Yopyyopy cited most recent instances, including:

• Laloki Psychiatric Hospital in Central Province being on the verge of closure with patients likely to be sent back home to their families due to shortage of medical drugs at the hospital. (Director of Medical Services at the hospital Dr Ludwig Nanawar revealed this as the institution marked World Mental Health Day on Oct 10);
• Health workers in Manus Province have been without such medicine for more than a month;
• Medicines running out PNG-wide with health facilities lacking essential equipment and in a state of disrepair;
• Health workers not being paid properly with doctors and health workers threatening stop work; and
• Recent media reports of a story from Abau district where a ward councillor claimed more than 20 people had died in the past two years due to medicine shortage.(People had to be taken to Port Moresby for treatment while some died along the way).

Other unreported cases are indicators of very serious system failure, the shadow minister said.

Yopyyopy noted that from the 2015 to 2017 budget, health funding was cut by 40 percent from K1.7 billion to K1.2 billion.

He also warned of further planned cuts of up to 30 percent over the next five years (to about K850 million).

Yopyyopy cited some “shocking” statistics about PNG’s state of health, including:

• In 2016, health cuts hurt many people, but fortunately the impact was softened by external health funding which may not be available;
• According to latest reports, PNG’s tuberculosis (TB) crisis is yet to be brought under control;
• ChildFund Australia estimates that up to 9000 PNG citizens died from TB in the past three years – one out of four are children);
• On PNG’s maternal and child mortality, a government decision in late 2016 to pay for women to give birth in a clinic or hospital was in fact an “admission of defeat”;
• Health experts have explicitly expressed that the health funding cuts have destroyed people in rural and remote areas where the need is urgent; and
• Up to 1500 women die in childbirth each year, and about 45 babies out of every 1000 die.

The UN estimates that about 12,000 children under five die each year, reports Loop PNG.

Also, a recent Asia Development Bank (ADB) report shows that PNG has some of the worst health indicators in the Asia-Pacific region:

• The prevalence of stunting among children under the age of five is 49.5 percent, ranking 29th out of 30 countries with information;
• The prevalence of malnutrition (wasting) among children under five is 14.3 percent, the highest rate for 30 countries;
• The maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births is 215, the equal third highest of 40 countries;
• The under-five mortality rate per 1000 live births is 57, the fourth highest of 43 countries;
• The number of new HIV aids infections in 2015 is 0.36 per 1000 of the uninfected population – the highest of 21 countries;
• The TB incidence per 100,000 people is 432, the second highest of 44 countries; and
• The incidence of malaria per 1000 people is 185, nearly double the next highest incidence.

Yopyyopy said facts speak volumes and it is incumbent on the government to stop painting a false picture when in fact, there are very serious underlying health issues affecting PNG.

“The government is not only duty bound, but morally obliged to put the health issues of PNG citizens above all else,” he added.

The Papua New Guinea National Doctors Association has congratulated the local medical team for successfully carrying out the open heart operation last week.

The team of local doctors — surgeons, physicians and anesthetists — and nurses conducted open heart surgeries on nine patients with less assistance from the usual visiting Singapore team.

They have undergone training at the National Heart Centre Singapore over several years and have been assisted by the Singapore team but are now more self-sufficient and independent.

Those trained in Singapore through Operation Open Heart include two cardiologists, one cardiac surgeon, two clinical perfusionists, six nurses and one echo technician with more expected in the future.

They are based at the Port Moresby General Hospital which is the only level seven hospital for the country.

PNGNDA president Dr James Naipao said PNG could achieve anything without hesitation.

Dr Naipao said: “The only problem in PNG is that we generally do not trust our qualified people in all facets of the workforce.

“PNG must trust its own human resource that have finished training, that are working and those in training.”

Dr Naipao was impressed with the Singapore team having trust and confidence in PNG’s local team operating on heart patients independently.

He said this sent out a signal to the hospital management, Department of Health and the government that Papua New Guinea had a team ready to independently treat heart patients.

Dr Naipao stressed that the higher authorities must now without hesitation support the cardiac team at Port Moresby General Hospital than looking at other options from within Papua New Guinea or overseas.

“These options, if in the planning, will not serve the rural majority and urban poor. PMGH must serve its function as a national referral hospital level seven for PNG.”

Dr Naipao added that patients referred to the hospital must be satisfied rather than being regretful.

Quintina Naime is a Loop PNG reporter.

The organisation has received information that there are 38 people injured, including four in critical condition. Three people are still being assessed in emergency.

“The shooting of students peacefully protesting is reminiscent of the worst excesses of repressive regimes in the region,” said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s director for South East Asia and the Pacific.

“Papua New Guinea’s authorities must establish a prompt, impartial and independent investigation to determine who is responsible for the unnecessary and excessive use of force.”

The Papua New Guinea police opened fire yesterday on a group of students at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) who were peacefully protesting against the alleged corruption of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

Several eye-witnesses have come forward to say they saw students beaten and shot at, including one case where a student was shot in the head.

In a statement, Prime Minister O’Neill blamed the violence on the students who had set out from their university for a peaceful protest at Parliament.

‘Warning shots’
Before any investigation has taken place, he has denied that the police targeted the students, claiming that their only response was the use of tear-gas and “warning shots”.

“Prime Minister O’Neill’s reaction has been completely inadequate. He should ensure an investigation worthy of its name takes place into reports of excessive use of force. Instead, he has prejudged the outcome, blamed the students for what happened to them, and sought to evade accountability,” said Rafendi Djamin.

Prime Minister O’Neill told Parliament that an investigation into the shootings at UPNG would take place. It is not clear who will carry out the investigation, when it happen, or whether it will be independent of any government or police interference.

“It is not good enough for the authorities to investigate themselves,” said Rafendi Djamin. “The Papua New Guinea government is trying to absolve the police of all responsibility for the unlawful use of force.”

Claims by the Papua New Guinea authorities directly contradict several first-hand accounts reported of the violence.

Outside Port Moresby General Hospital, families and friends of students who were attacked were peacefully protesting the shootings. Hospital officials have said that they had heard shooting outside the hospital.

“The police must exercise restraint and respect the right to peaceful protest. Firearms must only be used when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life,” said Rafendi Djamin.

Background
Since May, Prime Minister O’Neill’s government has been the focus of sustained student protests over allegations of corruption.

O’Neill is accused by PNG’s Taskforce Sweep of allegedly authorising payments for fraudulent legal bills amounting to A$30 million.

The students have used peaceful methods, including protests and a boycott of classes.

Prime Minister O’Neill has lashed out at the students for taking part in the peaceful protests, deriding them as poor performing students and warning that they will have to “face the consequences” in terms of their academic prospects.

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