The critical questions Scott Morrison must ask the PNG prime minister

Last week it was reported that the relatively large Bulolo Hospital in the Morobe Province saw the death of at least nine patients simply because the hospital was completely out of vital medicines and drugs including antibiotics.

Hardly a day goes by without the PNG media reporting another hospital or health centre closing down because of a shortage of medicines, funds, and personnel.

The shortage of vital drugs and medicines, and supplies as basic as bandages is utterly inexcusable. It is due to a system that is widely regarded as corrupt and utterly incompetent.

The Prime Minister should offer to return the position to what applied before 2013 when Australia supplied most of the drugs and medicines, and also offer to help ensure their nationwide delivery, if need be using the resources of the Australian defence force.

The second question is whether the PNG Government would agree to Australian health managers and doctors and nurses taking over the operation of at least one major hospital – Angau Hospital in Lae being the obvious candidate.

And the third question must relate to transparency when it comes to the true position with regards to both the incidence of Covid, and the capacity of PNG to manage it.

Unlike here in Australia where most Premiers and/or Health Ministers front the media daily with Covid news, good and bad, neither the PNG Prime Minister nor his Health Minister, do so. Increasingly, political comment on the pandemic has declined – and the stark reality of the position is probably why.

As of 21 September, just 184,000 Covid tests have been undertaken, in a population of 8.5 million, and an adult population (over 16 year olds) of around 6 million.

Even more alarmingly, just 173,000 people have been vaccinated – with probably no more than 50,000 double vaccinated. The vaccination rate among health/hospital workers is believed to be well under 50%!

Scott Morrison simply must ask his PNG counterpart what steps are being taken to overcome not just massive vaccine hesitation, but arguably even more aggressive vaccine resistance.

The immediate answer is NOT to offer PNG more vaccines – and most certainly not more cash!!

Australia should surely offer to supply more oxygen, ventilators, and if possible, more skilled health care workers to address not just the Covid crisis, but the overall crisis facing the whole health system. And that support needs to address the areas of Papua New Guinea closest to Australia, but it needs to go nationwide because it's a nationwide crisis.