In Search of Progress in Financing the Frontline in Papua New Guinea

In a country where more than 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas, developing a sustainable approach for assessing the allocation and effectiveness of spending on the country’s rural health service is critical. This report updates the analysis of our first report, Below the Glass Floor, and looks for ways to continue the discussions in search of solutions for the issues identified. Papua New Guinea’s network of rural health facilities is enormously widespread across the country’s challenging terrain. For most Papua New Guineans these health clinics, and the extension patrols that clinic staff carry out, are the only health service people see and can access. Roughly half of the country’s health centres are administered by churches (with government funding) and the other half directly by the government. Most activities associated with frontline rural health services are the responsibility of provincial governments, however this picture is changing with the introduction of provincial health authorities.