Kaugere Urban Clinic located in the Moresby South Electorate has been out of antibiotics for both children and adults for some time now. The Clinic Health Manager, Josephine Mamis said that they haven’t received any new medical supplies even though they have been following up with their suppliers for a while. “We do not have antibiotic suspension for the children and tablets for the adults.” “Right now, we just write prescriptions for the patients and refer them to the pharmacies to buy their medicine.” “It is sad when we have to do that because not everyone can afford to buy medicine from the pharmacies.” She said the basic drugs such as paracetamol and antibiotics like amoxicillin and septrin usually run out quickly. Mamis added that currently at the clinic, they are seeing an increase of patients presenting themselves at the clinic with flu and alot of children under the age of 5 are reporting mumps. She also said they usually have routine immunization on Tuesdays and Thursdays but due to the Supplementary Immunization Activity for Measles Rubella, Polio and Vitamin A, they are carrying out immunizations every day so they can make sure that all children under 5 get immunized.

The United States Agency for International Development’s Lukautim Graun Program is continuing to advance the protection of PNG’s rich biodiversity through awarding of small grants to non- governmental organizations. These funds will reduce threats to biodiversity, strengthen traditional landowners’ rights and promote women’s economic empowerment. Eco Custodian Advocate Inc. an NGO based in Milne Bay province is among the few recipients of these small grants. The signing of the grant agreement between ECA and USAIDLGP took place in late April 2023. It is a 14-month project which starts from April 20, 2023 to June 19, 2024. Executive Director of ECA, David Mitchell and USAID LGP’s Chief of Party, Tom Pringle held further discussions on the 09th May, 2023, giving effect to this partnership. With funding support from USAIDLGP, Eco Custodian Advocates Inc. will extend its work on sound marine management and conservation support across Milne Bay province. ECA will increase its investment in the highly biodiverse Milne Bay seascape of the Coral Triangle by providing technical and soft skill support to 1,250 fishers of both genders, impacting 5,000 community members. ECA will build on the customary practice of gwala [customary NRM – Marine] for priority food security and livelihood concerns of target fishers and communities by addressing the: • Rekindling of customary marine resource management; • Empowerment of women and the vulnerable; • Generation of ecologically beneficial and sustainable livelihoods. The funding support from USAID LGP, enables ECA to continue: • Working with community youth in audio-visual smart-phone recordings that document local stewardship and customary law over their natural resources. • Providing skills training in basic editing of audio-visual material to a level that is recognized as a legal retrievable record. • Documentation of this approach to inform, socialize, and promote this as an acceptable new paradigm of having retrievable audio-visual material that is a record of oral customary law that is specific to local linguistically defined community groups. Then promoting the incorporation of this into NRM and Ward Development Plans supported by the village court. • ECA’s activities will contribute to LGP’s goal of reducing environmental threats to biodiversity through community empowerment and increased opportunity for cultural conservation driven well-being initiatives. Specifically, ECA will strengthen and amplify its successful interventions of communities across the Milne Bay seascape. The activities will gain greater recognition of gwala customary closure and in doing so improve the well-being and livelihoods of coastal communities. Mr. Mitchell thanked USAID for this agreement. “The signing of this agreement with the Chief of Party demonstrates USAID LGP’s goal to work with communities, in recognizing the value of their customary marine management that protects, saves and preserves the marine resources.” USAIDLGP’s Chief of Party Mr. Pringel said that they believe the funding support will help in conserving PNG’s rich marine resource. He added that the funding is important especially at this critical time when biodiversity faces grave threats around the world with critical species and habitats threatened at an alarming rate.

Nasfund Contributors Savings and Loan hosted member conferences in Lae and Port Moresby recently. The Port Moresby conference was held on Wednesday the 10th of May at the Hilton Hotel. Chairman Ian Tarutia, and Chief Executive Officer Vari Lahui as well as other senior managers addressed the participants, comprising of numerous business houses. Following the conference in Port Moresby, Chairman Tarutia said the second quarter was very challenging due to the recent IT issues. “This engagement was very important in that it gave employers an opportunity to speak directly with our team, especially during the Q&A session at the end of our presentations.” “We were also able to discuss remedial actions currently underway to restore full services for our members, including the important Poro Card service.” “We shared ncsl’s strong results for 2022, delivering an overall crediting rate of 6% to our members.” “This is something we are very proud of.” On Thursday the 11th of May, ncsl held conference in Lae where members were represented by their employers. The conference was hosted at the Lae International Hotel and was well attended. The ncsl team was led by CEO Vari Lahui, who presented updates on remedial action being taken by ncsl to address issues with the online portal, Poro Card system and USSD service. The 2022 financial results were also shared on that day. The ncsl team paid a visit to Ramu Agri Industries Limited on Friday the 12thof May. Ramu Agri Industries Ltd, located in the Ramu Valley is part of the New Britain Palm Oil Group, the largest private sector employer in Papua New Guinea with over 24,000 employees. At all engagements ncsl CEO Vari Lahui was pleased to report consistency in ncsl’s performance with a 5.7% average crediting rate paid to members over the past five years. “Despite challenging economic conditions during the period, we maintained a strong performance record, providing consistent returns to our members.” “We acknowledge that the last few months have been difficult for our members given IT challenges that have impacted our service offering.” “We have improved our customer care services with the establishment of a call centre and are monitoring our official social media channels to improve customer experience for our members.” During each engagement, members were assured that despite the system outage, member funds are safe with most services restored, with access to e-Banking Services back to normal and no impact to the Core Banking System. Ncsl continues to grow from strength to strength and remains committed to supporting the aspirations of members, by delivering essential and affordable financial services.

The National Department of Health needs K25 million every year for children’s immunizations. Manager for Population and Family health, Dr Edward Waramin said that GAVI supports the National Department of health each year by purchasing vaccines to be used in immunization campaigns however they stopped in 2022. “GAVI stopped since we have oil and gas and other natural resources, but they will continue to support in other ways.” “From this year onwards, the government of PNG is now required to provide approximately K25M every year.” “Every year hopefully there will be an increment of K1M or more because of inflation and other factors.” He added that the department doesn’t have the capacity to come up with that amount of money in a short time. However, the department works alongside the treasury and finance to get the funding that they need to carry out the immunization campaign. He said that when the department was getting the support from GAVI, they didn’t plan on what would happen after the funding stopped. Dr Waramin said for the government to provide the funding they need to be provided with the necessary calculations and budgeting. He thanked partners such as World Health Organization and UNICEF for their continuous support towards the immunization campaign.

Air Niugini has come on board to support the efforts of YWAM Medical Ships Australia & Papua New Guinea (YWAM MS) Dental Trailer 2023 program by airlifting medical equipment Free of Charge (FOC) out of Brisbane to Port Moresby recently. The airline uplifted 100kg of dental supplies and equipment to support the dental trailer program which is aimed at providing screening, oral health education and dental procedures to students in schools in Port Moresby. Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gary Seddon said that this is not the first time that Air Niugini has supported efforts of YWAM in delivering health care and training in the country. “We have supported YWAM in the past and are pleased to be able to participate again in this particular program that focuses on improving dental health care of younger Papua New Guineans.” The 13-metre-long dental trailer is equipped with dental chairs, sterilisation and x-ray facilities and will go around schools in the nation’s capital to provide dental care and offer health education to students in interactive and engaging sessions. YWAM in partnership with stakeholders have commenced the program at Sevese Morea Primary school and Koki Elementary and Primary schools with Kila Kila Secondary school next in-line, to be followed by other schools in Port Moresby.

New Ireland Province Governor Sir Julius Chan and the New Ireland Province Government has invested K2M to support women, girls, and their families in the province in the space of Financial Inclusion. MAMA BANK has partnered with the NIPG to establish a Mama Bank Agency in the provincial capital Kavieng Town to enable the local people to have easy access to financial services and credit facility to support NIP’s economic plans in empowering entrepreneurship in the province. This initiative was led by the CEO of Mama Bank, Mr. Gunanidhi Das and New Ireland Province Sir Julius Chan. The Mama Bank and New Ireland Provincial Government recognized that women in the province should have proper banking services to save and grow their hard-earned money through access to financial services and credit facility. Women should have their own bank account with affordable and adequate access to credit to enable them to progress their entrepreneurship and contribute towards their family’s welfare and the province’s economic development. During the MOA signing ceremony held at Mama Bank’s Head Office recently, Governor Sir Julius Chan announced that the New Ireland Government is committed to working with Mama Bank to establish the bank’s Agency in Kavieng Town and roll out the MSME Credit Scheme. This scheme will be coordinated jointly by the New Ireland Provincial Government and the Mama Bank project team. Mama Bank will now establish its Agency called the “MAP” in Kavieng Town for the people’s accessibility with the help of New Ireland Provincial Government. As an early Mother’s Day gift for the Women of New Ireland Province, Sir Julius Chan launched three impact policies on Friday, May 5th at the Kavieng Stadium, New Ireland Province. This included the first impact policy which was for the launching of the New Ireland Mama Bank and the New Ireland Credit Guarantee Scheme which will be administered by Mama Bank. The policy, he said will benefit all New Irelanders, especially empowering women and families to do business. The New Ireland Provincial Government in implementing the Malagan Declaration Forward through the partnership with Mama Bank, will guarantee 50% of all loans extended under this scheme and for a start will limit maximum borrowing to K 100,000 to any individuals to enable more small businesses to participate. Sir J said the initiative will enable a self-reliant culture in New Ireland further calling on individuals or families in the province who have a vision to start business to visit the SME Office at the New Ireland Provincial Administration as long as they have the required 10% equity for borrowing. Sir J said that this will create an avenue for his people to adequately have access to credit, to enable them to play a more active role in the economic development and contribution of the province. The New Ireland Provincial Government and Mama Bank are prepared to consider the provision of loan facilities to borrowers through direct and through different available suppliers. These includes farmers and fishermen who are unable to provide security of a type or in an amount which banks would be requiring in the normal course of its operations.

The National Department of Health and partners, UNICEF and World Health Organisation conducted a media briefing today to answer questions and further clarify on the Supplementary Immunization Activities on Measles Rubella, Polio, and Vitamin A. All children between the ages of 6-59 months must get vaccinated during the Supplementary Immunization Activities. The Measles, Rubella and Polio Vaccines are safe, effective and they provide long term immunity from measles, rubella, and polio diseases. Measles is a highly infectious disease that spreads from person to person through sneezing, coughing and close contact. Common signs of the disease are high fever, skin rash, red eyes, cough and runny nose. Rubella is caused by rubella virus that spreads from person to person through the air. Rubella is a mild childhood disease however women who contract rubella in the early stages of their pregnancy can pass the virus to their unborn child which can lead to foetal death and birth defects of the eyes, ears, heart, and brain. While Polio is a dangerous disease that is caused by a virus that enters the body through the mouth from contaminated food or water. Polio spreads very fast in places with poor hygiene and sanitation, open defecation, and overcrowding. WHO Team Coordinator for Vaccine, Preventable Diseases and Immunization, Dr Ananda Amarasinghe said that like any other vaccine, there will be some children who will have adversary side effects. “Sometimes children get high fever or pain in the injection area, but they go away after a few days.” “Those are expected adversary reactions.” “Very rarely, there can be serious adversary reactions, but we are prepared to respond to those serious reactions.” Dr Ananda highlighted that some children may already have an infection, but they don’t show any symptoms and after they get immunized, they get very sick. This is called coincidental reaction and they will investigate to find out what really caused them to get ill. Dr Ananda also said that since they aim to vaccine about 1.2 million children during this campaign, they are ready for children who might have an allergic reaction to the vaccines however it is very rare. National Department of Health Manager for Population and Family health, Dr Edward Waramin said that for children that are sick, they will not be allowed to get immunized. The health workers will treat them for their illness and send them home, once they are better, they can come back to get vaccines. “In order to prevent any misconception, it is better not to vaccinate your child when they are sick.” “The campaign is running for the next 4-5 weeks so we can defer for your child to feel better than come back and get their immunization.” Children living with disabilities are encouraged to come get vaccinated as their immune system is not as strong as the other children. “They need the immune boost that the vaccines will give them.” The immunization campaign was launched on the 1st of May, 2023 for all the 22 provinces with the aim to raise the vaccination rate since the current vaccination rate is at 45%.

Mama Bank completed a week-long celebration of its 9th Anniversary and Mother’s Day with a donation towards Glensville Orphanage. The donation was made on Saturday 13th May at the Assemblies of God PNG Church at Wildlife Erima, Port Moresby in the presence of Glensville Orphanage Founder Ms. Glense, young orphans, disadvantaged children, church leaders, and community members. Also present at the donation were Mama Bank CEO Mr. Das, his family, the management team and staff, who were delighted to support the orphanage in its mission to provide care and support to children in need. The donation is part of Mama Bank's commitment to giving back to the community and supporting worthy causes that make a difference in people's lives. Ms. Glense, who looks after children between the ages of 5 and 20, expressed her gratitude to Mama Bank for the generous support. She highlighted that the donation will go a long way in providing the children with the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, and shelter. She also thanked Mama Bank for the continued support, which has made a significant impact on the orphanage's operations one way or the other. Mama Bank CEO Mr. Das emphasized the bank's commitment to supporting the community and giving back to those in need. He said that the donation is a reflection of the bank's values and dedication to making a positive impact in people's lives and promoting social financial inclusion for all. He applauded Glensville Orphanage for its tireless efforts in caring for disadvantaged children and providing them with a safe and nurturing environment. In conclusion Mama Bank spokesperson Ms. Sindiwan, who is the Marketing/Training Manager, said that the bank is proud to be a part of Glensville Orphanage's journey and looks forward to continuing its partnership with the orphanage in the future. “The bank remains committed to making a positive impact in the community and supporting worthy causes that promote social responsibility and sustainability.”

Air Niugini management have started visiting its provincial ports to communicate the company's initiatives. They started with Lae on Thursday, 11th May, 2023. Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gary Seddon, Technical Advisor-Flight Operations, Captain Granger Narara and General Manager- Aviation Security, Mr Marco McConnell met with Lae sales staff and Nadzab airport operations. The team also had a tour of the new terminal facility at Nadzab. The purpose of the visit is to update staff on the progress and developments at Air Niugini and to hear feedback, concerns and suggestions from staff. The visit is also to ensure that the staff are better informed, equipped, and ready prior to the arrival of additional aircraft before the end of the year. The team will be paying similar visits to other ports in the coming weeks.

Midwifery students from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Kokopo, East New Britain shared their satisfaction and excitement after using new birthing simulators supplied by the United Nations Population Fund Country Office and Laerdal Global Health (Norway) recently. According to the school’s Midwifery Coordinator, Ms. Francesca Bev the simulators have helped her 17 students build not only their competence but also their confidence, as the mannequins allow students hands-on practice before they enter clinical practice. More importantly, students can make mistakes, have these corrected and repeat their correct techniques before they attend to live births. Ms Bevi shared that such practice is essential for women to receive the best quality of care. “It is very important as educators and students to use these simulators when practicing post-postpartum haemorrhage, normal delivery and manual removal of the placenta.” “This helps better our skills to do the right thing and save lives when it comes to the labour ward.” Ms. Bevi further emphasized that a huge gap remains between the number of midwives in the country and the child-bearing population. “PNG needs to train more midwives to upscale the midwifery workforce in both the rural and urban setting.” “Many rural health facilities do not have a midwife and the graduate output of midwives is less than a hundred.” These simulators resemble something of a forward-facing backpack containing material placenta with an umbilical cord and a dummy baby, which can be worn. The inside also features a bladder containing fluid that can be released by the instructors to simulate post-partum bleeding. Fourteen simulators, named Mama Nathalie and Mama Birthie, were distributed to seven nursing schools around the country including the Highlands School of Nursing, St.Mary’s School of Nursing, Pacific Adventist University (PAU), Port Moresby General Hospital, University of Goroka, Lae School of Nursing, and Milne Bay Provincial Health Authority. The Dean of Health Sciences at PAU, Ms. Ellie Korave also expressed her thanks after her school received their simulators. “We value UNFPA’s great support and are so eager to work in partnership with UNFPA to promote maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health to survive, thrive and transform communities and societies.” The United Nations Population Fund continues to invest in midwives to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, and every childbirth is safe. According to Country Representative Ms. Marielle Sander, this is at the heart of UNFPA’s transformative results, especially in Papua New Guinea. “These birthing simulators were given to the Midwifery Society of Papua New Guinea and to these schools so that midwives and students can keep their life-saving skills up to date.” Papua New Guinea is facing an urgent shortage of midwives. In 2023, UNFPA has supported 10 students at the University of Goroka with scholarships to study midwifery and continues to work in partnership with the National Department of Health and the Midwifery Society to invest in addressing this shortage.

The Chairman of the Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Immigrations and Defence, Belden Namah is calling on Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko to explain to the people Papua New Guinea the quotes that are attributed to him on Australian media. Tkatchenko is reported to have told the ABC Pacific Beat that Papua New Guineans who responded furiously to a TikTok video posted by his daughter Savannah were "useless people" and "primitive animals". “I am calling on the Foreign Affairs Minister to confirm or deny that he uttered those descriptions of citizens of Papua New Guinea which has been kind enough to offer him naturalized citizenship.” “If he has indeed uttered those despicable words then I am calling on Justin Tkatchenko to immediately resign as Foreign Affairs Minister and as Member of Parliament and further renounce his citizenship.” “The "useless people" and "primitive animals" of this country have ensured he grew his business, gave him a wife, offered him citizenship, elected him into public office, made him a minister and sent him and his daughter to London.” Namah is also calling on the Prime Minister to sack him immediately. He further called on the Immigration Minister to direct the Chief Migration Officer to immediately call a Citizenship Board Meeting to deal with Justin Tkatchenko. "The TikTok video just reveals the kind of shallow mentality and disregard for Papua New Guineans that the Minister must have inculcated in his family saying that it is unfortunate with the video saying it all: #aussiesinengland."

Sister Wilma Sebby, Nurse Manager of Emergency Department (ED) at the ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital, has spent the last 17 years working at the emergency department. She is motivated by her love for the job and for people. She said that working in the Emergency Department can be very stressful and sometimes challenging but as a team leader, she is there to support her fellow nurses and colleagues. Even on a quiet day at ED, she is in ‘preparation mode’ getting the equipment and items for emergencies ready. “Taking care of patients and seeing them recover makes me feel good and that’s what inspires me to continue serving and to do more to the best of my ability.” “I love my job.” “That is why I continue to do what I do as an emergency nurse and as a team leader in the emergency department.” “Even when I am off duty and resting, my brain is still thinking ‘emergency, emergency.” The desire to continue serving to the best of her ability led her to complete a Bachelor of Clinical Nursing-Critical Care (Emergency Nursing) in 2007 and in 2017 she graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Management & Education from the School of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Papua New Guinea. For the past 3 years, Sister Sebby gained further knowledge and skills from training facilitated by staff from the Australian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) delivered as part of ANGAU Hospital Redevelopment Project. Sister Sebby also used the online Kumul Health Skul training, which consists of 10 modules on contemporary models of care and management. As a nurse manager, she mentors and empowers her colleagues and has encouraged them to upskill and refresh their knowledge on emergency care, procedures, and response. The training has benefited Sister Sebby and her ED team to implement the Interagency Integrated Triage Tool (IITT), a Triage Process -whereby they can now recognise and categorise patients based on the severity of their injuries or illnesses and attend to them within a given timeframe. The ANGAU Hospital Redevelopment is an example of a successful partnership in action. It has created direct and sustainable relationship between technical specialists from Australia and Papua New Guinea. This project is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to redevelop and strengthen healthcare in PNG through the PNG-Australia Partnership. Sister Sebby added that she is grateful to the people and Government of Australia for investing in ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital by not only giving new buildings but also providing trainings and upskilling them with new knowledge and skills to improve health care in Morobe and PNG. Nursing leadership is needed at all levels and across all settings to provide effective and relevant health services for patients and their families, individuals and communities.