As the virus spreads the PNG health system collapses

PNG is desperately short of skilled health workers. And that is a problem for the major population centres as well as rural areas where basic health services are even worse.

The Australian Government needs to assist PNG with the supply of skilled doctors and nurses. It also needs to call on the PNG Government to abandon its corrupt and inefficient supply of medicines which no longer includes Australian suppliers.

Corruption in the health system has been chronicled for years on PNGs robust social media sites. Absolutely zero has been done about it. Too many people of "influence" appallingly benefit from it!

Australia needs to offer to step in with medicines treating any number of diseases and illnesses now endemic in PNG – such as malaria, typhoid and HIV, as well as polio which was once eliminated but has started to return.

The people of Papua New Guinea are largely alert to the significant failures in the health system. They know Australia has had a reduced role for some years with terrible consequences.

The question then arises – how is our added support to be funded?

The answer lies in suspending our existing aid program in all non-essential areas and devoting maximum resources to the health system and the response to the covid virus in particular.

As I wrote last week, some of our aid program should be based out of Cairns to boost the Cairns economy in its real moment of need.

This can include sourcing medicines, and giving aid delivery agencies incentives, out of North Queensland.

Our aid to PNG equates to around $600 million a year, more than enough to make a real impact on fighting the virus and starting to rebuild a run down and declining health system.

Aid money spent on consultants doing reports and on non-urgent areas must be stopped immediately.

The "aid lobby" and elements of the Canberra bureaucracy will strenuously resist interfering with their long-existing cash cow.