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PNG Health ProjectStudent Elective Scholarship
Program Kiunga District HospitalWestern Province, PNG
Health in Western Province, PNG
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of Australia’s closest neighbours, and yet has some of the least developed health care systems in the world. People living in PNG suffer a significant burden of infectious disease including high rates of tuberculosis and HIV. In addition to this, other problems include poor nutritional status, poor maternal health as well as trauma attributed to domestic and tribal violence.
Health in Western Province, PNGThere is a real need for medical help in the rural areas of PNG that attract less attention from NGO’s, PNG Government, expats and mining companies. In contrast to Australia, approximately 85% of PNG citizens reside in rural areas (World Bank data). Provision of a continual stream of medical students into the rural districts not only truly benefits the PNG people, but also gives Australian medical students a real chance to experience an amazing culture whilst making a difference, and hopefully inspire them to continue to develop the health care system in PNG through their professional careers. We hope the experience will give students life skills and knowledge that they can pass on to their own community for the great benefit of many more people.
PNG Health Project
HOPE4HEALTH has established a community support program in rural PNG. Alongside Queensland Rural Medical Education (QRME), we have established a connection with Kiunga District Hospital, located in the Western Province of PNG.
PNG Health Project
In 2013, our annual gala ball, the Jazz Dinner Dance, raised $20,000 to support the program thanks to the generous support of the wider gold coast community and Griffith University health students. Our first significant investment with this money has been the purchase of an ECG. The need was identified following reports that heart attacks were being missed due to lack of detection protocols which at the core of detection is via the information provided by an ECG machine. This was presented to the hospital when the first group of students for 2015 visited (see below).
PNG Health Project
We plan to sustain funding for the purpose of providing medical equipment, medical supplies and educational materials for these hospitals and the surrounding communities. Currently, a significant portion of medical care is delivered to locally trained, community health workers in these areas. We have begun to facilitate the continuing education of these individuals through the provision of textbooks as well as basic medical equipment for their practice and use.
Student InvolvementAlong with material assistance, HOPE4HEALTH members have the opportunity to undertake their final year medicine elective at the Kiunga District Hospital. This program was initiated by QRME under the guidance of Prof. Scott Kitchener. QRME is an organisation involved in the training of Rural Generalist Medical Practitioners in QLD and oversees the elective’s logistics pre-travel orientation. Students live and work in the western province of PNG over a 5-6 week period and provide valuable assistance to the local health care system. Being general hospitals, students have the opportunity to experience all aspects of medicine including, emergency, general medicine, surgery, obstetrics and infectious diseases. It is hoped that by having regular groups of students in the hospital, we will be better able to oversee the continuation of the aid element of our project, and consolidation teaching and learning from the previous groups.
Student InvolvementIn consultation with QRME, the aim is to send groups of 3-4 students every 7 weeks of the university year (to coincide with elective blocks in the Griffith University MD program). This will aim to create a sustainable response to areas of health workforce shortage. Students will be expected to engage in the following tasks while on placement:• Assist and support medical practitioners at
the hospitals in managing inpatients and outpatients at the hospital
• Assist in the education of local community health workers
• Develop an appreciation for medical practice in countries with less developed health systems compared to Australia
Student Program
1. Two-day Orientation in Toowoomba plus online lectures
2. 5-6 week Placement at Kiunga District Hopsital (KDH), Western Province PNG
a) Opportunity to join an outreach patrol
i. Visit remote villages for 2-5 nights at a time
3. Day debrief in Cairns
Student Program
KDH Administrator Mr. Graeme Hill will be your contact on the ground in PNG and your main organiser. He has been in the Western Province as the KDH administrator for nearly 4 years and is an excellent source of knowledge. Megan O’Shannessy is QRME’s Clinical Lead for the PNG Health Project who will join you for your trip over and get you settled in. Kaitlyn Anderson is your student Coordinator for the project and will be your main contract prior, arranging all your logistics and orientation.
Accommodation
Provided for by QRME and organized by Mr. Graeme Hill is a secure 3 bedroom town house-style place. Simple but clean with drinkable running water, kitchen and bathroom.
Cost
Return flights from Cairns to Kiunga and accommodation are covered by QRME. Students will have to cover costs for:• flights to and from Cairns• food and electricity (roughly
estimated to be $AUS 100/week) and any other personal expenses.
Medications
It is advisable for students to see a travel doctor at least 2 months before departure and will need to cover costs of vaccinations etc. All students are advised to bring malaria prophylaxis medication. Mosquito nets have been purchased for the students by QRME.
VISA Process
Visas will be organized by QRME as they can take weeks to process. Students will need to hand their passports to QRME at least 1 month in advance of departure for the passports to be taken as a group to the PNG Embassy in Brisbane and then sent to Port Moresby for visa processing. It is the responsibility of students to ensure their passports are up to date (at least 6 months left before expiry).
Safety
Kiunga is a safe place to live, work and learn provided students follow advice of the supervisors and the locals.
Females are advised to always travel with a male and students would be best to always travel in a group.
It is not advised to travel late at night. Remember that the local people are friendly and will look out for you, but to always exercise caution, use commonsense and look out for each other.
Additional Funding & Insurance
The government OS-HELP loan is offered to all students completing an overseas elective as part of their studies, and it is encouraged that students apply for it if they wish. A loan of $6000 can be granted for the 6-week period.
There is also a $500 grant from Griffith University (IEIS Loan) that is available to all students on application (see the Elective Information on L@G). Griffith provides travel insurance free of charge via International SOS which is accessible through L@G and is required to be completed prior to elective acceptance by the School.
Location
Kiunga is a port town on the Fly River in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, just upstream from the D'Albertis Junction with the Ok Tedi River. It is the southernmost terminus of the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway.
Placement
The doctors work full-time and are available on-call as per the roster, alongside the other medical staff (the staff structure and roles will be explained at orientation). Students will determine amongst the group how to rotate/split the weeks of the program in the following wards:• General ward (24 beds)• Maternity/O&G ward (15 beds)• Outpatients department (OPD)
(operates as A&E)• Operating theatre (OT)
• Main ward rounds with the doctors occur Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from roughly 8.30am on the General Ward.
• Surgery is generally scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays unless there are emergency cases.
• Pathology is open everyday for most basic blood, urine and sputum test requests. Microspcopy/ Culture/Sensitivity is not available.
• Imaging is run by Mr. Kekela 5 days a week and on-call on the weekends for X-Ray and ultrasound scanning.
• Time may also be spent at the Maternal Child Health (MCH) Clinic, and TB/STI Clinic. The placement is very much directed by students and where their interests lie.
• Students are encouraged to spend as much time at the hospital gaining experience as possible.
Packing
• Hat• Long sleeved/collared shirts/polos• Long loose pants• Scrub pants and tops x 2-4• Sturdy boots for rainy days/patrol• Runners for the hospital• Underwear, personal items• Rain jacket• Mosquito repellant with DEET• Sunscreen Any medications
(paracetamol, anti-nausea, etc.)• Stethoscope, penlight, pens, hand
sanitizer, watch (will get DEET on it)• Laptop, hard drive with
music/movies (data projector in house)
Packing extras
Crocs or similar shoes to be used only in theatre
Goggles, togs, sunscreen and a hat to use at swimming lessons with the kids in the compound pool (every Sunday afternoon)
Spices like cinnamon (hard to find)
Provided at the accommodation:SheetsTowels Able to buy in Kiunga:Toothpaste/toothbrushShampoo/conditioner/soap
FAQsWhat is the usual flight plan? i.e do we fly straight to Kiunga from Brisbane? Generally the plan is something like this: Brisbane Cairns, stay in Cairns for 1 night Cairns Tabubil, PNG with Ok Tedi Mining Charter flight Tabubil Kiunga, Western Province PNG.Should we bring any PPE like gloves/masks etc? The hospital has plenty of gloves (non-sterile and sterile) and gowns. There are sinks and (occasionally) soap for handwashing but it is best to bring alcohol hand sanitizer for personal use. There are standard face masks but no duck-bill masks so it is advised to bring duck-bill. What is Kiunga like? A population of roughly 10-13 000 people (there are very few official birth certificates), Kiunga is similar to small rural town in Australia. It is the first referral point from remote villages before the bigger hospitals (Tabubil and Port Moresby) so you will see a lot of first point of call referrals. Most of the roads are dirt or semi-paved.What currency is used in Kiunga? Are there ATMs or card services? PNG uses the soft currency of Kina. The exchange rate is approximately 50 Australian cents to 1 Kina. There are 2 ATMs in town that accept travel cards and debit cards, but they do charge a fee of 15 Kina (~$7.50) per transaction. The ATMs are safe and usually guarded by security. Alternatively some larger stores may allow card use for transactions and smaller amounts of cash out. Will my phone work in Kiunga? Most students in the past have bought Digicel (PNG’s main phone company) sim cards to use for the trip duration. Digicel PNG uses 900Mhz bandwidth – check your phone is compatible or be prepared to buy a AUD$150 android phone over there. Samsung phones have no problems taking those sim cards, but some iPhones have not been compatible. You are able to buy cheap Android phones here to use if yours doesn’t work. Can I access the Internet in Kiunga? Yes, not always a strong connection but generally good. Digicel provides ‘Flexicards’ for phone credit and data credit. You can buy them in increments of 3, 5, 10 and 20 from many stalls and shops around Kiunga and use them to purchase phone credit or data for Internet. Example of credit deals: 17 Kina for 50 minutes of International calls (incl. Australia) to use within 24hrs of activating60 Kina for 1.5GB data to use within 30 days All Digicel sim cards get sent text messages with deal information on random days, and some days are ‘double data’ days so watch out for those.
FAQsWhat plug points are used in PNG? Standard Australian 3-pin plug points at 240V so all standard Australian appliances should work. Where do we buy food? What sorts of shops are available? There are fresh food markets everyday from early morning until around 4pm, and then night markets that will sell fresh vegetables, fruit, garlic and ginger, fish and (if you’re game) cassowary or other meat. There are also 3-4 small supermarkets that sell most canned goods, frozen meat, UHT milk, soft drink, and white bread. There is also a small bakery that sells fresh white bread, bread rolls and occasionally some cakes. There is also a hardware type store that sells a random assortment of things, including bush knives!Is the tap water safe to drink? Yes, the town water was safely had by the students. On patrol in the outer villages however its advised to boil the water first. Is it safe to walk around alone? Some of the students have described Kiunga’s safety level as similar to Surfers Paradise on the GC. For girls its advised not to be alone as there are reports of hassling by men. Remember that its more that there is a chance of you getting in the way of someone else’s disagreement rather than causing one, so this is best avoided – particularly on Friday nights and early Saturday mornings when there may have been late night drinking. This especially is the night to take caution. Who would I call in case of emergency? Mr. Graeme Hill will be your best point of call, and you should all get his phone number plus the phone numbers of your group. Make sure you always have at least a few Kina phone credit. The doctors are also good people to call if you are ever stuck. Is there a place to go for trivia on Tuesday nights? Why yes there is! The WPCL Staff Social Club – also known as ‘Jungle Jims’ – is a local (mostly ex-pat) pub/club that holds Trivia night every Tuesday at 7pm. Cold beers and new friends await.
Resources• Standard Treatment Guidelines for
Adult, PNG Department of Health http://www.adi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2012_PNG-Dept-Health_Adult-Standard-Treatment-Manual.pdf
• Standard Treatment Guidelines for Common Illnesses in Children, PNG Pediatric Societyhttp://pngpaediatricsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Standard-Treatment-for-Common-Illnesses-of-Children-in-PNG.pdf
• Malaria Diagnosis and the New Treatment Protocol http://www.adi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2009_PNG-Dept-Health_PNG-Malaria-Treatment-Policy-Document.pdf
• WHO Pocket Book of Hospital Care for Children http://pngpaediatricsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/WHO-Pocket-Book-Hospital-Care-for-Children-2nd-Edition-2013.pdf
• Melanesian Pidgin (or Tokpisin) – a Practical Approach https://www.livelingua.com/peace-corps/Tokpisin/Melanesian%20Pidgin%20%28or%20Tokpisin%29%20-%20A%20Practical%20Approach.pdf
ApplyingApply through the QRME website on the PNG Health Project page: http://www.qrme.org.au/medical-students/png-health-project/
The past students will be happy to help with any questions about the trip, applications or the medical side of things or more information can be found on the Hope 4 Health page: http://hope4health.org.au/portfolio-item/papua-new-guinea-health-project/ Griffith University requires an official application via the Self-Organised Elective Tool on L&G (including application to a high-risk country) and then further communication will largely be with QRME directly.
ContactQRMEMegan O’ShannessyClinical Lead PNG Health Project (selectives/electives)[email protected] 4638 7999
Past Students
Year Student Email Year Student Email
2013 Daniel Faux [email protected] 2016 Trent Townsend [email protected]
2013 Timothy Graves [email protected] 2016 Tuan Vu [email protected]
2013 Ashleigh Heron [email protected] 2016 Pushpraj Arora [email protected]
2013 Pathum Jayasuriya [email protected] 2016 James Boyle [email protected]
2013 Thomas Chalk [email protected] 2016 Erin Doyle [email protected]
2013 Patrick Manley [email protected] 2016 Nicole Simpson [email protected]
2014 Siddhartha Kusukuntla [email protected] 2016 Nathaniel Chandra [email protected]
2014 Felicity McIvor [email protected] 2016 Jeremy Lee [email protected]
2014 David Molhoek [email protected] 2016 Briana Paskin [email protected]
2015 Oscar Close [email protected] 2016 Shaun Purcell [email protected]
2015 Laura De Souza [email protected] 2016 James Dando [email protected]
2015 Mikaela Seymour [email protected] 2016 Praneel Kumar [email protected]
2016 Michelle Burnham [email protected] 2016 Christel Lee [email protected]
2016 Rebecca Calder [email protected] 2016 Andrew Paul [email protected]
2016 Daniel Crow [email protected] 2016 Stephanie Rose [email protected]
2016 Ronald Huynh [email protected]
Thank You
With thanks to those who support the PNG Student Elective Program:
• Queensland Rural Medical Education
• Hope 4 Health • Kiunga District Hospital • North Fly District Health Service • Abt JTA – PNG Branch • Griffith University • OK Tedi Development Fund,
Western Province
