A new set of diagnostic products are now available and they are ideal for health outreach programmes in rural areas, health and family welfare parliamentary referral Committee said yesterday.
Mr Iwie was speaking at the North West Medical & Scientific (NWMS) business seminar in Port Moresby, said it was about time the health sector moved from its conventional diagnostic services to more appropriate and innovative ways of providing the same service.
The seminar was co-hosted by Standard Diagnostics, a South Korean company manufacturing diagnostic pro-ducts, and NWMS, a national distributing company.
The diagnostic kits are for malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, typhoid, pregnancy and syphilis among others.
Mr Iwie said standard diagnostics and NWMS have products that are for use in the country.
“Point of care testing is an important concept in providing quality healthcare in rural and remotes areas of Papua New Guinea,” he said.
Mr Iwie said health facilities that do not have microscope and technicians to detect malaria, TB, typhoid or syphilis, can use the SD Bioline test kits.
He said, one step, simple, rapid and accurate test kits are the new technology ideal for health outreach programmes.
He noted that PNG has the highest infant mortality rate in the region.
HIV/AIDS with related issues, an impassable geography for the smooth flow of health services and a resurgence of malaria call, he said.
The seminar was attended by medical students, Health Department officials, representatives from the private sector and the National AIDS Council Secretariat.