Papua New Guinea's Healthcare System: Hospitals, Access for Foreigners, Emergencies and Health Risks

The National Department of Health, based in Waigani (Port Moresby), is a statutory body whose functions rest on the 1997 National Health Administration Act. Its reform provides for a phased decentralisation of service delivery to provincial health authorities and to other agencies, with support to strengthen their capacity. It coordinates the implementation of the 2021-2030 national health plan and publishes sector performance assessments, as well as dated pharmaceutical circulars. Its website displayed no usable list of hospitals at the time of consultation; the department’s telephone is +675 301 3634.

Port Moresby General Hospital is the capital’s reference facility. Beyond it, provincial hospitals, district hospitals, health centres and health posts serve a very dispersed population. No official source read publishes fees or conditions of access for a foreigner: ask for a written quote before any non-urgent procedure.

The World Bank records about 0.06 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants and 0.62 hospital beds per 1,000 inhabitants; current health expenditure represents less than 3% of GDP, and life expectancy at birth is about 66 years. These indicators are among the weakest of the Pacific region studied here and explain the overcrowding described by France Diplomatie.

France Diplomatie indicates that medical services are limited even in Port Moresby: regular medicine shortages, few specialists and overcrowded emergency services. Outside the capital, hospitals and health centres sometimes close temporarily for lack of staff, power cuts or fuel shortages. In remote areas, evacuation by land is limited, so evacuation is often by air, at very high cost. See the full country page.

No official source read describes a health insurance scheme open to foreign residents, nor the conditions under which public care is free for a non-citizen. The Nasfund pension fund is a retirement savings scheme, not health insurance. The Department of Health and the employer specify what applies to a foreign employee.

On the French side, Papua New Guinea does not appear in the CLEISS list of social security agreements: the Carte Vitale (the French health insurance card) cannot be used on site, and the Assurance Maladie (the French national health insurance) points out that an expatriate no longer falls under the French scheme, unless they join the CFE (Caisse des Français de l’étranger, the French social security fund for nationals abroad) voluntarily. See healthcare reimbursement in Papua New Guinea.

First-line consultations take place in a public health centre or a private practice in the capital; specialists and the technical platform are concentrated in Port Moresby. France Diplomatie specifies that, without cover, access to care may be refused, even in a life-threatening emergency. Local emergency numbers do not appear on its pages; note them on arrival and save the insurer’s assistance number, which coordinates referral and evacuation.

• French embassy in Port Moresby: +675 321 55 50 on weekdays; out-of-hours emergency line: +675 70183716 (France Diplomatie).
• Covid-19 symptoms: call 1 800 200, 019 or 71960813, according to France Diplomatie.
• Keep the insurance certificate, the list of treatments with their international nonproprietary names and the contact details of your doctor in France.

France Diplomatie recommends taking only the necessary medicines, in their original packaging, with a prescription stating the international nonproprietary names, checking that they are authorised locally and never buying them in the street, because of counterfeits. The French vaccination schedule should be up to date; proof of valid polio vaccination is required on entry, and on exit after more than four weeks. Yellow fever is compulsory when arriving from endemic zones; hepatitis A and B, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and BCG for children under 15 on frequent or prolonged stays are discussed according to the conditions.

• Malaria: sometimes fatal forms; protection against bites and preventive treatment on medical advice; resurgence reported in Port Moresby.
• Dengue and chikungunya: no curative treatment for dengue; increase reported on the coast and in the lower Highlands.
• Japanese encephalitis: rice-field mosquitoes, incubation of 4 to 15 days, no treatment; prevention by vaccination and protection.
• Cholera and typhoid: cases possible, notably in Lae and Madang; food hygiene and vaccination.
• Poliomyelitis: epidemic alert by the WHO and the department, with a mass vaccination campaign in the Morobe, Madang and Eastern Highlands provinces.
• Tuberculosis, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections: high prevalence and limited diagnostic capacity; avoid risky behaviour and consult quickly after any exposure.
• Rabies: almost always fatal once the first symptoms appear; wash with soap and water after a bite or scratch and consult without delay.

Pregnant women or those planning a pregnancy consult a doctor before departure: France Diplomatie describes the country as a Zika risk zone, with no ongoing transmission at the date of the page, with possible neurological complications and microcephaly in the newborn. Given the remoteness of technical platforms, malaria and the overcrowding of emergency services, pregnancy follow-up and delivery are planned with the insurer, checking direct billing, the maternity waiting period and the evacuation conditions in the event of complications. The CFE requires conception after joining.

For children, the French vaccination schedule must be up to date before departure, notably against measles; tuberculosis, whose infection rate is high, prompts discussion of BCG for children under 15 on frequent or prolonged stays. People with a chronic illness carry a file translated into English, prescriptions in international nonproprietary names and a sufficient stock of treatment for the whole length of the stay, as medicine shortages are regular.

Serious cases are often evacuated, notably to Cairns in Australia. In remote areas, evacuation by land is limited: evacuation is therefore by air when possible, at very high cost, which the French embassy covers in no case. The assistance contract must specify the evacuation ceiling, the destination zone, the role of the 24-hour assistance platform, the possibility of a return to France and any exclusions linked to an area advised against by France Diplomatie. The transport benefits of the CFE and those of an assistance contract are compared contract by contract. See repatriation and assistance.

Day to day, France Diplomatie recommends covering clothing, repellents, impregnated mosquito nets or air conditioning, removal of standing water, capped or purified water and well-cooked food. Avoid walking barefoot or swimming in doubtful water, wear closed shoes against envenomation and protect yourself from heat and sun. For travel, choose reliable transport, avoid driving at night, fasten your seat belt and wear a helmet.

Cover is arranged before departure: the CFE, which reimburses abroad according to a scale by country with no waiting period if joining takes place before departure or within three months, or international insurance with direct billing and evacuation. See CFE or private insurance, expat health insurance and repatriation and assistance. Expavy helps you compare these options via the online assessment. See also living in Papua New Guinea.