PNG does not need Aussies

PNG does not need Australia. PNG Health Minister. M Malabag

PAPUA New Guinea is unfazed by an Australian decision to withdraw funding for a medical supplies programme and says it does not need Australian help to distribute medical drugs to health facilities throughout the country.

Health Secretary Pascoe Kase and Health Minister Michael Malabag said they were unaware of any decision by Australia to withdraw from an agreement to distribute medicine to health centres in the country, but it would not affect medicine getting through to all health centres.

The pair was responding to media reports last week that Australia had withdrawn funding of A$38 million (K90 million) for the distribution of medicine in PNG because of concerns about local company, Borneo Pacific Pharmaceuticals, which had been recently awarded a national contract to supply medicine.

Australia was concerned that the company did not have international ISO 9001 quality management accreditation and they had been linked to a Chinese supplier of sub-quality drugs.

Malabag said on Friday that PNG was capable of managing its own affairs as a sovereign country without outside interference. 

“What will Australia withdraw when they are not paying for the medical kits in the first place.

“This is purely a PNG government-funded programme and Australia, through AusAID, has to respect that instead of using the same corruption language,” he said.

Malabag said submissions from three bidders went through the Health Department’s technical and evaluation committee, the State Solicitor and the Central Supply and Tenders Board (CSTB) before recommendations by the National Executive Council.

“... the other two bidders were disqualified by the CSTB as not registered in PNG. 

“This is not Australian money and it does not mean their preferred bidder automatically gets the tender,” he said.

Kase said the Government had sufficient funds to pay and distribute medicines to health centres throughout the country and Australia would continue to support health programmes, including the Angau and Lorengau hospitals.

PNG Today / The National