Australia has a proud and important role in advancing healthcare services in our region, which helps ensure our nearest neighbors receive the support and knowledge they require to help treat and care for their population.

Recently, the Federal Member for Macarthur, Dr Mike Freelander MP, visited Papua New Guinea as part of a Parliamentary delegation to the country to discuss their concerns relating to healthcare.

Dr Freelander met with local healthcare workers, patients, and staff from DFAT and the PNG Government to discuss these concerns and how aid provided by the Australia Government was helping address issues in the country.

These meetings took place in Port Moresby, Lae, Goroka and at the Australian High Commission.  

Joining Dr Freelander on this bipartisan trip included Anne Ruston, Michael and Catherine McCormack, Josh Burns, Sophie Scamps, Simon Birmingham, and Michelle Ananda-Rajah. It was carried out in partnership with Save The Children Australia and the Global Fund over a period of five days.

With burgeoning health-related issues arising in the Australasia region, it has never been more important to help our closest neighbors and strengthen bilateral ties within our region.

We visited the ANGAU Memorial Hospital, which provides critical health services for the city of Lae and provides opportunities for medical and healthcare cooperation between the two nations and was built by the Australian Government.

Additional visits included travelling to Goroka to meet with workers within the region’s HIV program, as well as meeting with TB clinicians and community volunteers to discuss the growing issue of TB in the country.

The delegation also visited local health & malaria clinics and discussed how the greatest need for the people of PNG is for better access to primary care.

Quotes attributable to Dr Mike Freelander MP:

"I've been very grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with the wonderful people of our nearest neighbour.

Our nation can still do a lot more to help the people of Papua New Guinea gain access to better healthcare services and I am very impressed by the hard work and dedication of their healthcare workers.

Right now, PNG is experiencing some of the worst health outcomes in the world, with high levels of HIV transmission from mothers to newborns and malaria still affecting large portions of the population. We have a responsibility to help our nearest neighbour”