Institute to provide health care training

 A privately-owned institution is in talks with the Health Department and an overseas institution to provide basic healthcare training. 

The Asia Pacific Institute of Applied Social Economic and Technical Studies (APIASETS) held talks at its Hohola Campus in Port Moresby last Friday with Department of Health, National Capital District Health and TAFE Queensland representatives. 

Those present were Mark McCarthy, the regional manager for TAFE Pacific and Papua New Guinea and Luella Koy, the business development officer of TAFE, and officials from the Department of Health and NCD health. 

APIASETS director Thomas Pillar said his aim was to send the students overseas to get international exposure to modern healthcare systems then bring them back to apply the experience in Papua New Guinea settings.

“We need to do a little bit more of what we have already done, get our students exposed to the world and what is happening out there,” Pillar said. 

 “Currently, we are going by the curriculum and syllabus, but things have changed and many things have gone digital and computerised.

The nursing programme at APIASETS is a three-year course which student will be required to do eight weeks’ placement programmes at TAFE Queensland in their second and third years. 

The current 16 nursing students will be attending their first eight-week placement programme at TAFE Queensland once talks are complete.  

APIASETS offers 17 courses, apart from nursing, ranging from two to three years.