Dr Lloyd Ipai (walking in front), Dr Goa Tau (in red and black shirt behind Dr Ipai) and Dr Duncan Dobunaba (second left)
being welcome in front of the central administration building of DWU in Madang.
The recent 45th Independence Anniversary celebrations at the Divine Word University campus in Madang was made extra special by the visit from the Chief Medical Officer of Papua New Guinea, Dr Goa Tau.
Dr Tau was accompanied by Dr Duncan Dobunaba, the Chief Anesthetist of PNG and Dr Lloyd Ipai, the Chief Physician of PNG.
The high-powered delegation from National Department of Health headquarters in Port Moresby was received by members of DWU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) lead by the faculty dean, Dr Clement Maineng MBBS, PhD.
Dr Manineng said the visit of the delegation signals significant progress for PNG in terms of training of medical doctors and other cadre of health workers and the steady progress towards the ultimate aim of addressing health worker shortage and declining health indicators in Papua New Guinea.
He said with support from key stakeholders including the National Department of Health, DWU has embarked on training medical doctors to address the low doctor to patient ratio in the country.
Dr Manineng said the current ratio stands at an estimated one (1) doctor to 17,000 people compared to the estimated one (1) doctor to 500 people in Australia.
DWU through its Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences FMHS trains seven different cadre of health workers including health extension officers, physiotherapists, environmental health officers, nursing officers, health managers, eye care officers and now medical officers, and as such is a significant partner in health in Papua New Guinea.
Dr Manineng said DWU looks forward to working in partnership with National Department of Health and other key stakeholders in advancing health in Papua New Guinea.
Meantime, DWU’s pioneer Bachelor Medicine, Bachelor Surgery (MBBS) students will be concluding their fifth and final year of studies at the end of this year. They will then await placement for a two-year residency program in hospitals in the country.
