PNG needs doctors

THE Government through the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Medical Board, Department of Health and School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) should visit countries where our students are studying medicine.
Fiji once trained our medical and dental doctors. They have and are serving well in PNG.
A resident medical officer
(RMO) in PNG or house officer compared with the same in Australia, England and the US may be the same but when it comes to simple procedures like inserting cannula, I & D, NGT insertion, IDC insertion, POP application, our RMOs are better.
On clinical hands on experience, our medical school is superior than some of the first world countries.
An Irish doctor recently told me: “Your doctors are some of the clinically competent doctors in the world despite the lack of sophisticated medical equipment, instruments and accessories. I am glad I had a privilege of working with some of them here in Papua New Guinea”.
Having said this, SMHS is getting Timor Leste and Fiji MBBS graduates to do post-graduate studies.
They have succeeded.
Before coming to work in PNG, they have fulfilled the requirements of being clinically competent in their country.
Now, Goroka University is planning on setting up a medical school.
The Highlands Pacific University in Ialibu is planning one too. Divine Word University has started.
All these must get assistance from the School of Medicine and Health Science and its curriculum and clinical training modules should be similar to the old medical school or even better.
On this note, PNGDF has sent four candidates to China to do medicine.
One graduated and returned, and this person cannot do residency now because of the registration dilemma. She got commissioned by the PNG Defence Force.
Our doctor-population ratio is 1:17,000.
With the population growth rate at 3.3 per cent, this gap will widen if we keep sleeping on it.
GoPNG must also assist SMHS and make it a stand-alone university.
Funding constraints to the medical school is making life difficult for the SMHS Campus.
Our consultants and doctors are overworked to spend time clinically orientating and upskilling these undergraduates from overseas.
Having said this, yes PNG needs doctors but we must be very careful and diligent in our approach.

Dr James Naipao
National Medical Doctors’
Association president