Rural areas lack health services

MANY rural areas lack access to health facilities and services because there is no electricity and water supply, says Health Department health facilities manager Ambrose Kwaramb.
He said that of the 4,583 health facilities around the country, many in the rural areas lacked basic utilities.
“Almost 80 per cent of districts do not have infrastructure like roads, airstrip, power, water and sewerage systems,” he said.
He blamed agencies responsible for these public utilities for neglecting rural and remote health facilities. “The health sector is responsible for 30 per cent of the social determinants of health, while 70 per cent lies in other factors which affect efficient health service delivery,” he said.

Kwaramb said this during the during the second day of the provincial health authority (PHA) chairman and chief executive officer forum held in Port Moresby yesterday.
“Almost 70 to 80 per cent of the country’s population live in rural and remote areas.
“The Level One-Four health facilities directly affect the 70-80 per cent of the rural population.
“Law and order issues are contributing factor to the destruction of health facilities and puts the lives of health workers in danger.
“This makes health facilities infrastructure investment very difficult,” he said.