The COVID crisis on our doorstep cannot be ignored

It is not just rural health centres that are in decline. The state of all the nation's hospitals, including major national hospitals, is generally poor, or unable to meet the community's demand.

Australia will have to decide, and decide very soon, what support we give the struggling PNG health system to meet the escalation in Covid-19 cases.

The answer is NOT to simply give the PNG Government, and its dysfunctional health system, more cash!

The state of the health system, and the urgency of the escalating need and nationwide incidence of Covid-19, means that Australia must examine new ways of assisting PNG address the crisis.

Firstly, the Australian Government needs to direct more aid, and special funding to the churches which generally operate the best health services in PNG.

It also needs to provide greater financial support for Australian-based NGOs such as YWAM (Youth with a Mission) who does magnificent job delivering vital health services with minimal Australian government assistance. (I declare an interest as having proudly helped YWAM begin its mission in PNG a decade ago).

But there is an even greater need. Australian needs to provide urgent and comprehensive "Capacity Building" assistance to the PNG health system – doctors, nurses and other professional men and women trained in the management of Covid-19 outbreaks.

It is too late in the day to provide capital funding to re-build run down hospitals and health centres. The need is now.

The immediate priority must be skilled and committed personnel.

More testing capacity needs to be supported, but the real need is "people".

There are existing capacities such as the churches, and YWAM, and Rotary, to help deliver the services that are in desperate, and growing, need today.

Recently China offered to "give" Papua New Guinea 100,000 vaccines free of charge. For a population of almost 9 million that is a miserable effort and will be seen as such in PNG – or those parts of PNG where the China stranglehold does not currently exist. Sadly, that sector is diminishing almost daily.