Papua New Papua New GuineaGuinea

By Hannah Ellis

PlanningPlanning

Why did I choose Papua New Guinea?

Third world

Established elective opportunities

Somewhere ‘different’

Partially English speaking

Different culture

Where is Papua New Where is Papua New Guinea?Guinea?

What’s PNG like?What’s PNG like? Mountainous terrain with coastal

lowlands Tropical climate Prone to natural disasters Chief of State Queen Elizabeth II 85% of population subsistence

farmers Exports oil, gold, copper ore, logs,

palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish & prawns

(CIA 2004)

How did I plan my How did I plan my trip?trip?

Searched internet for possible elective opportunities

Used MMA Healthserve site

Downloaded AHS application form and applied by fax, post & email

Called the office to ensure application had arrived

Applied for visa

Found out about vaccinations

My Rough BudgetMy Rough Budget Flights + Tax £1430 Insurance £83 Visa £7 Vaccinations + antimalarials £200 Accommodation + Food with Health workers

whilst on placement £130 Extra food + bottled water £200 Equipment (mosquito net, medical pack,

clothing etc) £200 Accommodation en route £150 Contingency (e.g. 2 changes of flights at £50

each) £100  Total £2500

What were my concerns What were my concerns and difficulties?and difficulties?

I might not be accepted – waiting for ever

I don’t have enough money

I know nothing about the country

How would I plan everything

Would I be ok without friends and family

It’s a bit far if anything goes wrong

Other people’s reactions/worries

How did I overcome my How did I overcome my concerns and difficulties?concerns and difficulties?

Reassurance that other people were in similar situations

Reading up on the country and culture

Going on an elective preparation day

Applying for funding from plenty of people

Being very organised and getting as much info as possible

How did I get funding?How did I get funding?

Freda Ashmore – unsuccessful

RCN Travel Award - unsuccessful

Other funding opportunities

- 15 letters

- 7 Negative

- 8 Positive

MMA Healthserve Grant

Total Funding Promised: £2025

First ImpressionsFirst Impressions

Climate The very basic health centre My accommodation The facilities – or lack of! The people

Outline of Healthcare Outline of Healthcare SystemSystem

Churches provide 50% of healthcare Remote villages do not have access

to healthcare facilities 85% of people live in rural

communities Use of Aid Posts & Clinic Patrols Only 7 Drs per 100,000 people Most doctors work in urban hospitals

(Sources: AHS 2004, UNICEF 2002)

Health Issues in PNGHealth Issues in PNG Poor immunisation coverage Poor antenatal care Malaria, measles, pneumonia and

diarrhoea major causes of morbidity and mortality

Clean water and sanitation limited to urban areas

Domestic violence is common(Source: UNICEF 2004)

Clinical SpecialityClinical Speciality

From birth to death Clinics Deliveries Tropical Medicine Trauma Minor surgery Education

My RoleMy Role

Jack of All Trades!! Screening in OPD Giving treatment & dressing wounds Delivering babies Prescribing drugs (under

supervision!) Clinic Patrols Patient referral & education

Differences in Differences in Healthcare systemHealthcare system

Role of the nurse Lack of facilities Distance travelled to health centres Lack of education Paying for treatment Commitment of staff Voluntary input

Language and Cultural Language and Cultural differencesdifferences

Over 700 languages spoken in PNG 66% of population are literate Life expectancy 57 yrs 44% Protestant, 22% Catholic and

34% pantheistic beliefs Indigenous beliefs very important,

often underlying approaches to health

(Sources: UNICEF 2002, CIA 2004)

How did I cope?How did I cope?

Learning Pidgin English – compiled own list of phrases

Buying & eating local foods Dressing appropriately Accepting the way of life Making the best of every situation Going with the flow

Main areas of learningMain areas of learning

What is normal for us is not normal for everybody

The skill of symptomatic diagnosis Patience The importance of education We are so lucky I can make a difference

The ExperienceThe Experience

Most interesting thing: learning Pidgin English

Most shocking thing: the fate of triplets

Most exciting thing: going on village patrol

Something I thought I’d never do, but did: deliver babies

For Future TravellersFor Future TravellersTop 10 most useful things to take:

Water purification tablets Maglite Mosquito repellent Leatherman Sunscreen Sarong Personal CD player Decent walking sandals Zip-off trousers/skirt Non-sterile gloves

Top 10 most useful Top 10 most useful tipstips

Have a few days in Cairns on route to alleviate jet lag

Don’t believe the Aussie tales about PNG Change all money needed for PNG before arriving

there Wear a money belt (for own peace of mind) Have a place booked in Australia for return

journey Take photos of family, friends, house, city etc etc Go with an open mind Remember everything you see is ‘normal’ for the

people Eat the local diet (within reason!) Don’t make promises you can’t keep

Further InformationFurther Information Lonely Planet Guide: Papua New Guinea- see also

www.lonelyplanet.com (Info on country & culture) www.ahs-png.org (Anglican Health Service) www.healthserve.org (Medical Missionary Organisation) www.fco.gov.uk (UK Foreign Office) www.lifesystems.co.uk (Equipment and advice for travel) www.unicef.org/infobycountry/papuang.html (PNG info &

stats) http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/pp.html

(PNG info & stats) www.calibercreations.com/pisin (Pidgin English dictionary)