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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

C ommo nwe a l t h memb e r c o u n t r i e s cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2012, respectively. Non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases and diabetes both contributed six per cent to total mortality (2012). Injuries accounted for ten per cent of deaths in 2012. There is not enough recent data to determine the most commonly diagnosed mental illness in Papua New Guinea. Studies have found that the socio-cultural and economic changes occurring in Papua New Guinea, and the levels of violence in society, have made a significant impact on levels of mental disorder. Health systems: In 2012 government expenditure on health was 4.3 per cent of GDP, equivalent to US$94 per capita. In the most recent survey, conducted in the period 1997 to 2011, there were five doctors, and 46 nurses and midwives per 100,000 people. Additionally, in 2011, 43 per cent of births were attended by qualified health staff and in 2013, 70 per cent of one-year-olds were immunised with one dose of measles. In 2013, 40 per cent of people were using an improved drinking water source and, in 2012, 19 per cent had access to adequate sanitation facilities. Health services in Papua New Guinea are primarily financed by public funds and provided by the government and the church through hospitals, dispensaries and clinics. The rugged terrain and resultant challenges on infrastructure make providing effective health services nationwide, especially in rural areas, problematic. Port Moresby General Hospital is the country’s main teaching and referral hospital. It houses a hyperbaric recompression chamber for diving emergencies and is the only hospital in the country to have a CT scanner. The hospital is also a major treatment centre for AIDS. Papua New Guinea relies heavily on pharmaceutical imports from nearby developed countries, such as Australia. The Pharmaceutical Services Standards Branch of the National Department of Health regulates the import, export, wholesale and retail of medicines. The most recent act relating to mental health in Papua New Guinea is the Public Health (Mental Disorders) Regulation 1962. The Public Health Act of 1973 also contains sections on mental health. The National Mental Health Policy was launched in 2011. Health MDGs: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) mature in 2015, but monitoring of progress is ongoing due to the time it takes to collect and analyse data from each country. For Papua New Guinea to achieve its targets for the reduction of child mortality, which form MDG 4, it should have reduced underfive deaths per 1,000 live births to 30 and increased measles immunisation to 100 per cent when the 2015 data is analysed. In Under-five mortality 100 80 60 40 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Under-five mortality per 1,000 live births 2015 MDG 4 target 70 60 238 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 20 Life expectancy 1980 1990 2000 2013 Life expectancy Life expectancy in years 50 Mortality by cause of death (% of all deaths), 2012 Injuries Communicable diseases, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions Non-communicable diseases Tuberculosis: Incidence and mortality 1990 2000 2010 Mortality excluding cases comorbid with HIV (per100,000 people) Incidence of tuberculosis (per 100,000 people) – including cases comorbid with HIV 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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