Health in Papua New Guinea

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Doctor fitting a patient who lost her leg to diabetes Jospeh Sodiasi fitting a patient Vele who lost her leg to diabetes at the National Orthotic & Prosthetic Services (NOPS), Port Moresby General Hospital, PNG. (10705852345).jpg
Doctor fitting a patient who lost her leg to diabetes
Medical students from the UPNG School of Medicine and Health Science Second year medical students from the UPNG School of Medicine and Health Science. Port Moresby General Hospital, PNG. (10720542195).jpg
Medical students from the UPNG School of Medicine and Health Science

Life expectancy in Papua New Guinea (PNG) at birth was 64 years for men in 2016 and 68 for women. [1]

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Government expenditure health in 2014 accounted for 9.5% of total government spending, with total health expenditure equating to 4.3% of GDP. [2] There were five physicians per 100,000 people in the early 2000s. [3]

The 2010 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for Papua New Guinea was 250. This is compared with 311.9 in 2008 and 476.3 in 1990. The under-five mortality rate per 1,000 births is 69, and the neonatal mortality as a percentage of under-fives' mortality is 37. In Papua New Guinea, the number of midwives per 1,000 live births is 1 and the lifetime risk of death for pregnant women is 1 in 94. [4]

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative [5] finds that Papua New Guinea is fulfilling 71.9% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. [6] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Papua New Guinea achieves 90.8% of what is expected based on its current income. [7] In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 81.6% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. [7] Papua New Guinea falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 42.8% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available. [7]

Communicable diseases

The communicable diseases that cause the most deaths in PNG are lower respiratory infections such as tuberculosis. Lower respiratory infections are the fourth leading cause of death in PNG. [8]

Malaria

Malaria is the leading cause of illness and 27th leading cause of death [8] in PNG. In 2003, the most recently reported year, 70,226 cases of laboratory-confirmed malaria were reported, along with 537 deaths. A total of 1,729,697 cases were probable. [9] Other communicable diseases, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, and acute respiratory disease are also big problems. [10]

HIV/AIDS

Papua New Guinea has the highest incidence of HIV and AIDS in the Pacific region and is the fourth country in the Asia Pacific region to fit the criteria for a generalised HIV/AIDS epidemic. [11] Lack of HIV/AIDS awareness is a major problem, especially in rural areas.

Poliomyelitis

In 2018 there was a poliomyelitis (polio) outbreak that had 10 confirmed cases in the Morobe Province. Previously, there had been no confirmed cases since 2000 when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Papua New Guinea was polio-free. [12]

Obesity

21% of adults were obese in 2021. [13]

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In terms of available healthcare and health status Sierra Leone is rated very poorly. Globally, infant and maternal mortality rates remain among the highest. The major causes of illness within the country are preventable with modern technology and medical advances. Most deaths within the country are attributed to nutritional deficiencies, lack of access to clean water, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, anemia, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Health in Indonesia is affected by a number of factors. Indonesia has over 26,000 health care facilities; 2,000 hospitals, 9,000 community health centres and private clinics, 1,100 dentist clinics and 1,000 opticians. The country lacks doctors with only 0.4 doctors per 1,000 population. In 2018, Indonesia's healthcare spending was US$38.3 billion, 4.18% of their GDP, and is expected to rise to US$51 billion in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Paraguay</span>

In terms of major health indicators, health in Paraguay ranks near the median among South American countries. In 2003 Paraguay had a child mortality rate of 29.5 deaths per 1,000 children, ranking it behind Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay but ahead of Brazil and Bolivia. The health of Paraguayans living outside urban areas is generally worse than those residing in cities. Many preventable diseases, such as Chagas' disease, run rampant in rural regions. Parasitic and respiratory diseases, which could be controlled with proper medical treatment, drag down Paraguay's overall health. In general, malnutrition, lack of proper health care, and poor sanitation are the root of many health problems in Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Tajikistan</span>

The Tajikistan health system is influenced by the former Soviet legacy. It is ranked as the poorest country within the WHO European region, including the lowest total health expenditure per capita. Tajikistan is ranked 129th as Human Development Index of 188 countries, with an Index of 0.627 in 2016. In 2016, the SDG Index value was 56. In Tajikistan health indicators such as infant and maternal mortality rates are among the highest of the former Soviet republics. In the post-Soviet era, life expectancy has decreased because of poor nutrition, polluted water supplies, and increased incidence of cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, and typhoid. Because the health care system has deteriorated badly and receives insufficient funding and because sanitation and water supply systems are in declining condition, Tajikistan has a high risk of epidemic disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Niger</span>

Niger is a landlocked country located in West Africa and has Libya, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Algeria as its neighboring countries. Niger was French territory that got its independence in 1960 and its official language is French. Niger has an area of 1.267 million square kilometres, nevertheless, 80% of its land area spreads through the Sahara Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Ghana</span>

In precolonial Ghana, infectious diseases were the main cause of morbidity and mortality. The modern history of health in Ghana was heavily influenced by international actors such as Christian missionaries, European colonists, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. In addition, the democratic shift in Ghana spurred healthcare reforms in an attempt to address the presence of infectious and noncommunicable diseases eventually resulting in the formation of the National Health insurance Scheme in place today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

Health problems have been a long-standing issue limiting development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The current population of Myanmar is 54.05 million. It was 27.27 million in 1970. The general state of healthcare in Myanmar is poor. The military government of 1962-2011 spent anywhere from 0.5% to 3% of the country's GDP on healthcare. Healthcare in Myanmar is consistently ranked among the lowest in the world. In 2015, in congruence with a new democratic government, a series of healthcare reforms were enacted. In 2017, the reformed government spent 5.2% of GDP on healthcare expenditures. Health indicators have begun to improve as spending continues to increase. Patients continue to pay the majority of healthcare costs out of pocket. Although, out of pocket costs were reduced from 85% to 62% from 2014 to 2015. They continue to drop annually. The global average of healthcare costs paid out of pocket is 32%. Both public and private hospitals are understaffed due to a national shortage of doctors and nurses. Public hospitals lack many of the basic facilities and equipment. WHO consistently ranks Myanmar among the worst nations in healthcare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Angola</span> Overview of the health system of Angola

Health in Angola is rated among the worst in the world.

Benin faces a number of population health challenges. Apart from modern medicine, traditional medicine plays a big role too.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Burundi</span>

Burundi is one of the poorest African countries, burdened by a high prevalence of communicable, maternal, neonatal, nutritional, and non-communicable diseases. The burden of communicable diseases generally outweighs the burden of other diseases. Mothers and children are among those most vulnerable to this burden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in the Central African Republic</span>

Health in the Central African Republic has been degraded by years of internal conflict and economic turmoil since independence from France in 1960. One sixth of the country's population is in need of acute medical care. Endemic diseases put a high demand on the health infrastructure, which requires outside assistance to sustain itself.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Equatorial Guinea is fulfilling 43.5% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Equatorial Guinea achieves 64.4% of what is expected based on its current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 58.8% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. Equatorial Guinea falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 7.3% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

The WHO's estimate of life expectancy for a female child born in Guinea-Bissau in 2008 was 49 years, and 47 years for a boy. in 2016 life expectancy had improved to 58 for men and 61 for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Rwanda</span>

The quality of health in Rwanda has historically been very low, both before and immediately after the 1994 genocide. In 1998, more than one in five children died before their fifth birthday, often from malaria. But in recent years Rwanda has seen improvement on a number of key health indicators. Between 2005 and 2013, life expectancy increased from 55.2 to 64.0, under-5 mortality decreased from 106.4 to 52.0 per 1,000 live births, and incidence of tuberculosis has dropped from 101 to 69 per 100,000 people. The country's progress in healthcare has been cited by the international media and charities. The Atlantic devoted an article to "Rwanda's Historic Health Recovery". Partners In Health described the health gains "among the most dramatic the world has seen in the last 50 years".

Zambia is a landlocked country in Sub Saharan Africa which experiences a burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. In line with WHO agenda for equity in health, it has adopted the Universal Health Coverage agenda to mitigate the challenges faced within the health sector. The Ministry of Health (MOH) provides information pertaining to Zambian health. The main focus of the Ministry of Health has been provision of uninterrupted care with emphasis on health systems strengthening and services via the primary health care approach.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that the Solomon Islands is fulfilling 78.8% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, the Solomon Islands achieves 100.0% of what is expected based on its current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves 97.6% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. Solomon Islands falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 38.9% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Tunisia</span>

In 2016, life expectancy in Tunisia was 74 years for males and 78 years for females. By comparison, in the 1960s it was only 47.1 years. Infant mortality in 2017 was 12.1 per 1,000 live births.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Albania</span> Aspect of life in Albania

Life expectancy in Albania was estimated at 77.59 years, in 2014, ranking 51st in the world, and outperforming a number of European Union countries, such as Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. In 2016 it was 74 for men and 79 for women. The most common causes of death are circulatory diseases followed by cancerous illnesses. Demographic and Health Surveys completed a survey in April 2009, detailing various health statistics in Albania, including male circumcision, abortion and more.

References

  1. "Papua New Guinea". WHO. 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  2. "Papua New Guinea". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  3. "Human Development Report 2009" . Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  4. "The State of the World's Midwifery – Papua New Guinea" (PDF). United Nations Population Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  5. "Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  6. "Papua New Guinea - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  7. 1 2 3 "Papua New Guinea - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  8. 1 2 Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. "Papua New Guinea country profile".
  9. "Papua New Guinea Overview of malaria control activities and programme results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  10. "Papua New Guinea". Burnet Institute. 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  11. "HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea". Australia's Aid Program (AusAID). Archived from the original on 2007-09-01. Retrieved 16 December 2005.
  12. "Polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea reaches capital Port Moresby". The guardian.
  13. List of countries by obesity rate