According to statistics, out of a total of 4,684 medical facilities across the country, only 3,965 remain operational, with many in a state of disrepair and neglect.
At the recent handover ceremony for the Minister for Health, outgoing Health Secretary Dr. Osborne Liko openly acknowledged: “Papua New Guinea’s health sector continues to face complex structural and financial operational challenges.”
He pointed out that decades of underinvestment have led to the progressive deterioration of infrastructure, severe shortages of medical personnel, and a critical lack of resources for healthcare services.
To address these issues, a nationwide audit of health facilities has been initiated with support from the World Bank, led by Catalpa, and is currently in the “research and design” phase. In addition, the Australian Government has funded a medical facility assessment project in East New Britain Province, implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
“This initiative has driven the development of standardized infrastructure assessment tools, which have already been put into use in East New Britain and are planned for rollout nationwide to guide health investment and prioritization,” Dr. Liko explained.
He also noted that overly rigid budget ceilings and longstanding bottlenecks in medical procurement have resulted in critical service gaps. “Much of our health-related legislation, including the Public Health Act of 1973, no longer meets the practical needs of modern public health practice.”
In light of these challenges, Dr. Liko called for “transformational reforms—not merely adaptation and resilience.”
He shared that, under relevant reform plans, over 70 health managers have now received systematic and structured training aimed at comprehensively strengthening the governance and management capacity of Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs).
“This leadership training is specifically designed to enhance the performance of PHAs and support the effective implementation of national health plans, including budgeting and reporting mechanisms,” Dr. Liko emphasized.
To further strengthen performance and accountability, he championed reforms including the introduction of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the “86 Golden Rules” to standardize governance and decision-making across local health boards.
“I’m pleased to see that under our support and guidance, as of 2024, 20 Provincial Health Authorities have submitted their annual reports—compared to only five when I first took office,” Dr. Liko concluded.
