Train more health workers

THE shortage of health-care professionals in rural communities is a global problem that poses a serious challenge to equitable health-care delivery.
In Papua New Guinea, one of the main problems hindering the health sector’s development is that there simply are not enough medical professionals in the country.
The lack of physicians in rural areas and in some regional centres is a concern that has always been highlighted, especially at medical symposiums held over the years.
According to the World Health Organisation, PNG has 0.58 health workers per 1,000 people. The organisation recommends 2.5 health professionals per 1,000 people to maintain primary care.
The country’s low score is a reflection of the relative density of physicians in urban areas to the shortage in rural areas. Somebody has got to get out of the way.
PNG has a ratio of one doctor to 20,000 people and half of the total number of doctors are based in the National Capital District. Others are spread around the country.
It may be true that certain local level governments, which have more than 20,000 people in the province such as Gulf and Western, do not have any doctor.
Where is the health human resource plan to address this issue? Provinces are actually competing for health human resources.
Maybe provincial governments could throw in a few financial incentives to get doctors into rural health-care.
One area to test, not sure if it will work, would be for local MPs to sponsor medical students from their rural areas who are more likely to return to their rural roots.
In rural areas, partnership with non-state actors is essential to improve access to and quality of health services.
Health indicators in PNG are poor, with infant mortality rate at 48 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012 and maternal mortality rate at 230 per 100,000 live births in 2010.
For many years, the PNG Government has been in partnership with the churches in delivering rural health services. The rural development areas test the usefulness of other partnerships such as with the private sector.
As medicine has become more complex, team-driven and technologically advanced, the struggle to provide timely, evidenced-based, cost-effective and appropriate health care has become more the expected paradigm than it was in the past.
Health-care was in a dire state, particularly for remote areas such as where the deaths occurred where it can take seven days to walk to the nearest city for medical attention. The situation had been made worse by a shortage of medicines and the departure of the local health worker.
It cannot be left to current providers to come up with a plan to improve access to health care.
The rural population of PNG want access to evidenced-based medicine and they care not who provides it, as long as it is up to date, timely and has positive outcomes.
Many of the challenges in health care provision are linked to obstacles in other sectors, such as transport, infrastructure, manufacturing, education and security.
The international community is contributing and playing its part to help PNG improve its health care delivery, facilities and services, but there is room for more activity, especially from the private sector.
Let’s start by government providing the environment and letting non-government content experts develop a business plan to make it happen.