Primary health care in Papua New Guinea

The health catchphrase “Prevention is better than Curing”.  Is the idea of catchphrase working in the Papua New Guinea health sector or just another slogan?

HIV/AIDS is killing people silently. The lifestyle diseases is one of the latest emerging public health concerns as it's killing a skilled workforce. Many preventable diseases are eating huge national budget thus affect the public budget spending on other priorities development areas.

If the country does not revisit its approach of health service delivery mechanism, many productive skilled workforces will die from lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases and HIV/AIDS.

Dr Samuel Rumbifa Maima Director of one of the Private Health Service in recent media said lifestyle diseases are affecting the skilled workforce. He further said “I think our priority in the delivery of health care should be model towards the prevention and promotion of health products.

The former Minister for Health & HIV/AIDS Mr Jamie Graham said our health delivery should focus on prevention rather than curative. When he was a Minister in Peter O’Neill’s government from 2011-2012, he wanted to design National Health Prevention Strategic Policy, but his time ran short.  

He added lifestyle diseases is killing the productive age group.  Many of our health professionals are not trained in nutrition. Our patients are only fed with medicine than better nutrition. He said all health training institutions should offer nutrition courses. Medicine should be the last thing and more focus should be on nutrition because many plants and foods have properties that are good for our health. He said medicine is not a complete picture of good health, nutrition is the best choice for good health.

The National Department of Health has budgeted Nutritionist positions but not many professionals are trained to drive this program he said.

The country should rise above and invest in prevention so that it addresses the code health problems in Papua New Guinea. Most of the health issues treated in all clinics are preventable. The country will save millions in long run, thus invest other development priorities.

The Health Department should focus on nutrition, personal hygiene, and health promotion than wait for health issues to come to their clinics for treatments. The department must run after for good health of this country than sitting there for health problems to come.  There have been many calls for the redesign of health model that will suit the population way of life.