US Gov’t commits over K60 million to PNG to enhance capacity on infectious disease

The United States Government has made another four-year financial commitment of US$15 million or over K60 million to Papua New Guinea through the Department of Health to enhance capacity for infectious disease outbreaks and HIV/AIDS.

Minister for Health Elias Kapavore and Chargé d’Affaires of U.S. Embassy Alex Berenberg formalized the agreement [MoU] today at the National Department of Health Headquarters in Port Moresby.

Mr Berenberg said Papua New Guinea is a vital partner in the Indo-Pacific and this agreement is first of its kind in the region.

“It is the first health agreement of its kind signed with a Pacific Island partner. It is fitting that this partner is PNG, the region's largest economy, population, and most biodiverse nation.”

Mr Brathwaite said over 21 years, the U.S. has provided over K360 million to PNG’s health sector.

“We are targeting the 95-95-95 HIV goals by 2030, reducing maternal mortality from 189 to 155 per 100,000, and cutting child mortality from 40 to 15 per 1,000,"Mr Berenberg said.

He also said that between 2018 and 2025, $28 million USD was invested via FHI 360 to modernize health infrastructure, including a unified online database for real-time disease tracking.

“We have also provided $18 million USD for PNG’s first liquid oxygen infrastructure and donated PCR machines and advanced diagnostic equipment to the Central Public Health Laboratory.

“The U.S. remains committed to this mutually beneficial collaboration. We look forward to the launch of the National Oxygen Policy Framework this July.”

Health Minister Elias Kapavore said he is pleased that the American partners will continue to support critical priorities in HIV, health security, and disease surveillance.

He said following the HIV emergency declaration made by the PNG government last year, approximately 120,000 people are living with HIV in the country, with 11,000 new cases occurring annually.

“HIV remains a public health priority. Under this MOU, funding will boost our resources for prevention, testing, and treatment.”

Minister Kapavore said one of his primary concerns regarding this partnership is mother-to-child transmission.

“We currently see up to 2,700 babies born with an infection each year. I believe this is an area where we can focus our efforts and succeed in prevention.

“If we strengthen our protocol system to ensure that expectant mothers are tested and receive treatment during pregnancy, I am very positive that we can significantly reduce that number. Mother-to-child transmission must be a priority, as we are talking about innocent babies.” Minister Kapavore said.

Minister Kapavore also acknowledges the US government for their strong focus on building PNG’s disease surveillance capability to strengthen national health security systems.

“Robust data systems, responsive laboratories, and a skilled workforce capable of analyzing disease trends and detecting outbreaks will enable more effective planning and efficient allocation of resources.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Angelica Vieta, Foreign Assistance Secretary/Section Chief, U.S. Embassy said signing the MOU is the first step in designing together a partner implementation plan.

“For the next three months, we are going to bring our teams together and design a plan for how we’re going to implement this MOU agreement.

“And, of course, we’re going to look into the areas that need the most help. We’ll look into the mother-to-child transmission areas, but we’ll work together as one team to determine the priorities for how we’re going to spend the money.”