Free Healthcare for Papua New Guinea

PNG Health Minister Michael Malabag .

PAPUA New Guineans will receive free healthcare when the Government’s new policy comes into effect on Feb 24.

Health Minister Michael Malabag officially declared the implementation of the Free Primary Health Care and Subsidised Specialist Services Policy in Port Moresby last Friday.

The implementation of the policy comes in two phases in the following areas;

• Phase one involves the implementation at levels 1, 2, 3 and 4, which are rural health facilities (aid post, sub health centre, health centre, community health post) run by churches and the Government, and,
• Phase two involves the implementation of the policy at the public or provincial hospitals, which are level 5 to 7 health facilities, including provincial hospitals and referral hospitals.

“Hospitals will continue to charge user fees, however the level of fees charged have been either reduced or removed,” Malabag said.

“Fees for some services have been reduced by 50%, while fees for services that are complex and expensive in nature will marginally be reduced.”

Malabag said those amendments were additional to the exemption category under the Public Hospital Charges Regulation.

The government has allocated K20 million towards the implementation of the policy of which;

K6.1 million will go to the provinces for the government run health facilities, and,

K13.9 million to the Health Department under Division 241, Hospital Management Services and is further broken down to K9 million for public hospitals and K4.9 million for Christian Health Services’ facilities. 

“To make up the loss of future revenue from user fees, the government has committed to appropriate K20 million on an annual basis over the next four years to support the implementation of the policy,” he said.

Malabag called on all hospital chief executive officers, provincial health advisers, provincial governments and the Finance and Treasury Department to ensure that the policy was implemented throughout the country.

He said the policy was one of the pillars to improve service delivery and accessibility to the people.

“The O’Neill Government’s Alotau Accord for a Government of reconciliation, unity and hope announced this policy while maintaining the commitment to the people for affordable health care,” he said.

The National / PNG Today