Decision to bring in Cuban doctors to be reviewed

HEALTH and HIV/AIDS Minister Elias Kapavore, pictured, says he will be reviewing the decision to bring Cuban doctors into the country because there is a shortage.
Kapavore said the doctor-patient ratio in the country had dropped further down to 1:22,000.
“The decision to bring in Cuban doctors was made before my time, so I will have to check the information again,” he said.
“I don’t know the details surrounding the Cuban doctors project but I will review it and if it is good for the country, then I will consider it.”
Kapavore said in the meantime, he was looking at sending a team to Divine Word University to look at their medical school curriculum.
“The University of Papua New Guineas medical faculty produces 50 students per year, but we should be able to double this number by 2021 when we have some more students graduating from Divine Word University.
“Because currently I understand that there is a huge shortage of doctors. I also know that there are some doctors still jobless due to delay in registration, so I am now setting up a deployment unit to keep track of all graduating doctors so that they can be fitted into the public health system.”
Kapavore said bringing in doctors from overseas was an option he would be looking at as the country’s population was growing rapidly.