Papua New Guinea: struggling with the modern world

The eastern part of the island of New Guinea which forms the small nation of Papua New Guinea (the island is shared with an Indonesian province) has only been independent from Australia for 30 years and is struggling to catch up with the modern world. The country has approximately 6 million inhabitants including hundreds of tribes who speak over 860 different languages in total. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 40% of the population lives under the national poverty line.

Poor health situation and violence

The country has the worst health indicators in the region: maternal and infant mortality rates are high: 3 out of every 1,000 women die during childbirth*, 7 out of every 1,000 children do not reach the age of five. Malaria, pneumonia and tuberculosis are prevalent health problems. HIV/AIDS is a growing health issue. UNAIDS has said that out of an estimated 75,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Oceania, 70% reside in Papua New Guinea** and that 2% of the population is HIV-positive. Violence at all levels of the society presents a significant health burden.

Médecins Sans Frontières in Papua New Guinea

In 2006 and 2007 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff travelled around the country. They found that physical and sexual violence against women and children (particularly girls) in Papua New Guinea is extreme, whilst specialised care was practically non-existent. Many women live in a state of fear and children are the most forgotten victims. Therefore, MSF started a new project in Papua New Guinea. This brought the organisation back to the country after its teams had left in 1999, when MSF closed its emergency aid to victims of the bloody civil war on the island of Bougainville.

MSF supports a clinic in the eastern city of Lae, the country's second largest metropolitan area. The Women and Children's Support Centre, housed next to a hospital, opened its doors on 18 December 2007. MSF staff offers medical and psychosocial care to victims of sexual violence. The team works closely with the hospital staff to ensure that victims of sexual violence are referred to the outpatient clinic and that the team is informed when victims of sexual violence are admitted in the hospital. By the beginning of July, only six months after the clinic opened its doors, the team treated its 1,000th patient. Over 150 patients were survivors of sexual violence and approximately 450 patients came in after experiencing physical violence, mostly in their home. The remainder of patients visited the clinic for emotional trauma and family crises.

In September 2008, MSF started providing surgical care for patients who were victim of violence the local hospital of Tari town, in the Western part of the island.

MSF will strive to address the immediate needs of the victims and to advocate at national level for establishment of special health care for these victims. With MSF's work in Papua New Guinea, MSF wants to develop a model of care that can serve as an example.

Related News:

Field blogs - 06.05.2008 12:24

 Papua New Guinea: First cholera outbreak in 50 years continues - 16.09.2009 12:57

 Interview: Karen Stewart, mental health officer in Papua New Guinea - 03.10.2008 15:23