Australia provides additional funding through ADB to further boost health services in PNG

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed a grant agreement, worth $38 million in additional financing provided by the Government of Australia, to expand the scope and reach of a program that is increasing people’s access to quality rural health services.

The ongoing Health Services Sector Development Program, approved in June 2018 and cofinanced by ADB and the governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea, combines a policy-based operation and project financing to support critical health reforms and investments in PNG, enabling the long-term sustainability and effective use of the country’s health sector financing. Deficiencies in health sector governance, weak public financial management, and fragmented funds flows will also be addressed.

The program supports health service delivery by rehabilitating rural healthcare infrastructure, improving the availability of medical supplies, supporting new health partnerships, and using smart technologies to support digital information systems. The program also supports decentralized health service delivery by focusing on training staff at the sub-national level in public financial management and reporting to better plan and budget.

Original source: ADB
Published on 21 June 2019