Minister praises Aust for improving health services

HEALTH and HIV/AIDS Minister Elias Kapavore says he is grateful to Australia for its continuing support in the delivery of health services in PNG.
“This support is key in helping PNG to improve its health indicators and deliver better health outcomes for Papua New Guineans,’’ he said.
Kapavore said Health was one of the sectors that received a large proportion of Australia’s foreign aid support to PNG.
Additional support from Australia will be announced when Kapavore meets Australian Foreign Affairs and Women’s Minister Senator Marise Payne.
The new financial support of A$54 million (K128m) is being allocated to the Government to build rural health infrastructure and improve delivery of rural health services across the country.
Payne and Kapavore will also be discussing other support that Australia provides to PNG’s health sector, including its support for the polio immunisation campaign.
In June 2018, when it was announced that there was a polio outbreak in PNG and subsequently mass campaigns were conducted to prevent spread of the disease, Australia contributed A$9 million (K20mil) to support the PNG response.
As a result, more than three million children were vaccinated.
Australia also recently announced that it would contribute a further A$10 million (K23mil) to improve routine immunisation in PNG.
With this support as well as financial support from New Zealand for a vaccine alliance with the PNG Government and its development partners, including WHO and Unicef, a routine immunisation coverage of up to 12 provinces across Papua New Guinea, covering an estimated 400,000 children, is to be done.