Travel times to medical centres in remote parts of Papua New Guinea have been cut from three weeks to as little as three hours as a result of health initiatives introduced by Digicel’s PNG Foundation. Business Advantage PNG spoke to Foundation CEO Beatrice Mahuru to find out how this has been achieved.

Digicel PNG Foundation CEO Beatrice Mahuru with Aiopi. Credit: Digicel PNG Foundation.

Despite nine out of 10 people living outside urban areas in PNG, aid money still provides the backbone of funding to improve the rural health system, which has been in decline since the 1980s.

In 2013, it was estimated that 40 per cent of rural health facilities have closed or are not fully functioning.

This situation has led a number of corporate organisations operating in PNG to develop health initiatives themselves, often through collaboration with not-for-profit organisations.

Since 2008 the Digicel PNG Foundation has grown to include 21 mobile health clinics, two rural health aid posts and three women’s resources centres. This is in addition to the Foundation’s presence in the education sector, where it has funded 194 primary school classrooms and 234 elementary school classrooms.

A Digicel PNG Foundation mobile health clinic reaches another community. Credit: Digicel PNG Foundation.

The Foundation has now invested K42.5 million into communities across all 22 provinces, directly affecting over 350,000 people.

Beatrice Mahuru, Chief Executive Officer of Digicel PNG Foundation, explained to Business Advantage PNG that the Foundation planned to continue the funding of community health projects with the aim of supporting these communities as they become more self-reliant in the future.

‘No two communities are the same, so we are constantly adapting, with a considered approach, respectful of working in the different cultural contexts which are often deeply rooted in tradition,’ Mahuru said.

‘A lot of Papua New Guineans we visit used to walk for three days to a health centre. A lot of health centres have also been shut down in these remote communities.

‘Now what used to be a three-day walk to a health centre has become closer to a three-hour drive.’

PNG LNG guidance

Mahuru said that Digicel PNG Foundation had adopted elements that form part of the community health programs implemented by ExxonMobil during the development of its PNG LNG project.

ExxonMobil introduced its Community Health Impact Management Program through partnerships with the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR), Population Services International (PSI) and various contractor firms.

With support from ExxonMobil, PNGIMR’s Health Demographic Surveillance System (iHDSS) has expanded to monitor the impact of the PNG LNG project on the health of communities in Project areas.

A lot of Papua New Guineans we visit used to walk for three days to a health centre. Now what used to be a three-day walk to a health centre has become closer to a three-hour drive.

Meanwhile, the PSI-implemented Enhanced Community Health Project, which operates in key locations including the project’s transport and logistics route, involves community education, awareness and training to address health and wellness initiatives.

Overcoming challenges

Officers prepare to leave following a community visit. Credit: Digicel PNG Foundation.

Mobilisation, Mahuru added, remains a significant challenge to Digicel PNG Foundation, and other organisations, and though basic services are desperately needed in rural remote communities, it is cost prohibitive.

‘Mobilisation into these remote areas remains our biggest cost area,’ Mahuru explained. ‘Air travel is very expensive and there is only one road that connects the spine of the country.’

For Digicel PNG Foundation this challenge reinforces the need to secure partnerships with other organisations operating in PNG, according to Mahuru.

‘At the crux of our work is the partnerships that we have fostered from collaboration to coordination,’ Mahuru said.

‘A partnership opportunity we would love to find is with a freight company that can help take us into these remote areas. That hasn’t happened yet but we will continue to work in that direction.’