Papua New Guinea Program
Nursing Director, Dianne Jones (left), and Programs Leader, Kate Napthali, during the assessment visit
ANZGITA will commence training programs late in 2019 as part of the RACS Clinical Support Program which is being funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The decision to proceed followed a visit by a small assessment team in May 2019 to Port Moresby and Lae hospitals where the desire to have ANZGITA as a partner in improving gastroenterology expertise in PNG was very clear.
While there are no reliable burden of disease figures to rely on, local clinicians describe a high rate of presentation of upper abdominal pain, upper GI haemorrhage, high rates of Hepatitis B with all its complications, chronic diarrhoea and an increasing rate of GI malignancies – pharyngeal, oesophageal, gastric, liver and colon – all of which can be better managed with more accurate early diagnosis that would come with improved gastroenterology services.
The first program will only be at Port Moresby General Hospital, however in 2020 programs will include Lae (ANGAU) and Goroka hospitals. RACS has undertaken considerable preparatory work and the security of our trainers will be professionally managed at all times. As at other partners’ centres there will also be good opportunities to engage culturally with our colleagues.
Dr Kate Napthali, who has work experience in PNG and was on the assessment team, has been appointed PNG Programs Leader. At present there is no formal gastroenterology service at Port Moresby General or ANGAU hospitals with none of the physicians having a special interest in the speciality – not that this is unusual when ANZGITA first engages with a new partner. What endoscopy is undertaken is being done by the surgical teams.
Background on Papua New Guinea and programs' timetable and structure can be downloaded below
While there are no reliable burden of disease figures to rely on, local clinicians describe a high rate of presentation of upper abdominal pain, upper GI haemorrhage, high rates of Hepatitis B with all its complications, chronic diarrhoea and an increasing rate of GI malignancies – pharyngeal, oesophageal, gastric, liver and colon – all of which can be better managed with more accurate early diagnosis that would come with improved gastroenterology services.
The first program will only be at Port Moresby General Hospital, however in 2020 programs will include Lae (ANGAU) and Goroka hospitals. RACS has undertaken considerable preparatory work and the security of our trainers will be professionally managed at all times. As at other partners’ centres there will also be good opportunities to engage culturally with our colleagues.
Dr Kate Napthali, who has work experience in PNG and was on the assessment team, has been appointed PNG Programs Leader. At present there is no formal gastroenterology service at Port Moresby General or ANGAU hospitals with none of the physicians having a special interest in the speciality – not that this is unusual when ANZGITA first engages with a new partner. What endoscopy is undertaken is being done by the surgical teams.
Background on Papua New Guinea and programs' timetable and structure can be downloaded below
| trainer_information_png_2019.pdf |