The Bachelor of Health Management program of Divine Word University (DWU) is a response to the national need for ethical, confident and competent managers of health facilities and health projects who are able to cope with the diversity of conditions in PNG’s changing health system.          

Divine Word University, in recognizing this need for trained health managers, began offering programs in health management (previously called health administration), in 1998 through funding from AusAID. The program provides education that combines acknowledged local expertise in business, communication and finance and accounting, with international expertise in health services management education.

The PNG Medium Term Development Plan 2011-2015 acknowledges the huge challenges PNG faces in terms of rebuilding and up skilling the nation’s health workforce to combat rising negative health indicators. This, however, has not stopped DWU from providing this essential course. A review of the Papua New Guinea Health Sector in 2004 praised DWU’s contribution acknowledged DWU’s contribution towards training health managers and described the University as a ‘new actor’ in the landscape for tertiary health education and training in PNG (Mandie-Filer, Bolger,  and Hauck 2004)[1]. The Health Management course, when started in 1998, was known as Health Administration and began with a Certificate Level which was a one year program. Then it progressed to a two year Diploma in Health Administration and then in 2001 began the four year Bachelor in Health Management Program. Its graduates now work in the National Government health System, NGOs and the Church Health System all over the country.

The current BHM program is progressively observing other universities around the world that provide a qualification in Health Administration, Health Care Administration,  Health Service Management, Health Care Administration to benchmark thus improving quality of the research, teaching and learning in the DWU program. These universities include Columbia Southern University[2], Curtin University of Technology[3], La Trobe University[4], Australian Catholic University[5], Monash University[6]. From observing the programs of many of these universities, it can be stated the DWU Health Management undergraduate degree is one of very few health management courses delivered at the undergraduate level. This is because the majority of the health management courses taken in these overseas universities are delivered at postgraduate level only.

Today there are just over 100 students in the Bachelor program from year one to year four. Each year, DWU graduates around 25 Health Management students to enter the PNG workforce. The Health Management Program in Divine Word University provides competent and qualified health managers for the PNG workforce ultimately to help fulfill the National Health Plan 2011-2020. This Plan emphasizes strengthening primary health care services delivery and aligns its objectives with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Its values stated explicitly include equity, gender and people-centeredness. The National Health Plan states that increasing universal health coverage and equity in access for the rural majority and the urban poor is the first and most important objective. The National Health Service Standards for Papua New Guinea 2011-2020 outline a seven (7) level health service delivery structure and systematically describe a package of health services and the number, types and mix of staff that should be provided at each level of health care. The BHM takes account of these Standards.

[1]Mandie-Filer, A, Bolger, J. and V. Hauck.(2004).Papua New Guinea’s health sector - A review of capacity, change and performance issues.

[1]Columbia Southern University, (2013).Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration. Retrieved from http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/Degree/Business/Health-Care-Administration

[2]Columbia Southern University, (2013).Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration. Retrieved from http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/Degree/Business/Health-Care-Administration

[3]Curtin University of Technology, (2013). Master of Health Administration. Retrieved from: http://courses.curtin.edu.au/course_overview/postgraduate/Master-HealthAdministration

[4] La Trobe University, (2013). Master of Health Administration. Retrieved from: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/courses/health-administration/postgraduate

[5] Australian Catholic University, (2013). Master of Health Administration. Retrieved from: http://www.acu.edu.au/courses/postgraduate/health/health_administration/master_of_health_administration

[6] Monash University, (2013) Master of Health Service Management. Retrieved from: http://www.monash.edu.au/study/coursefinder/course/2872/