Impact Health PNG Project

12/08/2025

Well done Simbu Provincial Health Authority

10/06/2025

Papua New Guinea National Department of Health Minister Hon. Elias Kapavore, delivering keynote speech at the NDoH Digital Health Strategy, the Provincial Health Authority (PHA) Digital Toolkits and Trachoma Elimination Ceremony in Port Moresby this morning. Follow this page as we bring you more information on NDoH events this week through by the IMPACT Health Project with funding from the World Bank Pacific

04/06/2025

IMPACT Health Project update meeting held with NDoH, World Bank, key partners

The IMPACT Health Project convened a meeting with the World Bank Pacific, Papua New Guinea National Department of Health, and key implementation partners on Monday to discuss key project deliverables and activities ahead of a full week next week of meetings and training in Port Moresby.

Most of the meetings on the day were conducted virtually and led by Project Coordinator Mr. Billy Naidi and World Bank IMPACT Health task team leaders Ms. Kari Hurt and Rochelle Se Yun Eng.

The NDoH team was led by NDoH Acting Deputy Secretary National Health Standards & Compliance Dr. Dora Lenturut-Katal.

The project meetings discussed procurement, national health service standards, financial management & environment and, social safeguards, among other project components.

Key project partners and representatives from UNOPS & UNICEF & also attended the meeting to provide information and updates on major project components and activities.

Department of Finance PCaB Program Manager Mr. Sam Erepan also joined the meeting at the end of the day to provide an update on the DoF's Provincial Capacity Building program support to PHAs.

30/05/2025

IMPACT Health Project provinces progressing health facility assessments as reporting deadline nears

The IMPACT Health Project provinces of East New Britain, Central, East Sepik, and Simbu are currently conducting Integrated Facility Supervision Checklist (ISC) Assessments at various stages to meet a June 30 deadline in this funding round.

With only a few more weeks to go before the June 30 deadline, survey coverage of Levels 2-4 health facilities remains critical, with PHAs urged to urgently ramp up supervision visits and ensure all checklist data is uploaded to the Tupaia Dashboard.

Each PHA qualifies to receive USD$150,000 (K700,000) from the IMPACT Health Project if it meets this project indicator target in this reporting round.

By June 30, East New Britain as an Early Adopter Province target is to assess 92.4% of its L2-4 health facilities, with a Minimum Service Quality Score of at least 20% over the baseline.

Central, East Sepik Provincial Health Authority-ESPHA, and Simbu Provincial Health Authority as Expansion Provinces are expected to achieve a Minimum Service Quality Score on the ISC by at least 10% over their baseline.

All PHAs are expected to assess over 90% of their L2-4 reporting health facilities and achieve a Minimum Service Quality Score of over 60%.

Tupaia data indicates East Sepik Provincial Health Authority-ESPHA has assessed over 55% of its L2-4 health facilities, Central PHA over 29% of its L2-4 facilities, Simbu Provincial Health Authority over 27% of its health facilities, and East New Britain 22% of its facilities assessed to date.

The ISC Levels 2-4 Checklist is a Papua New Guinea National Department of Health's supportive supervision tool aimed at training/equipping PHAs to provide routine supervision at primary health care facilities (public & churn-run) to improve service delivery quality.

The routine implementation of the ISC will lead to increased transparency & accountability on the delivery of care by the facility and identify/address challenges/bottlenecks to improve minimum standards of care at the frontlines – primary health care facilities.

The ISC Checklist consists of various topics focused on the critical areas for quality control including planning & management, human resources, outreach, support & supervision, health information, drugs & essential management, maternal & child health services, communicable diseases prevention & control, inpatient care clinical governance, and infection prevention & control.

During each ISC visit, information is collected through interviews, observations, and checking of relevant records/ registers/ documents at Community Health Posts (Level 2), Rural & Urban Health Centers (Level 3), and District Hospitals (Level 4).

Measurement indicators aspire to reflect the health inputs, services, and quality standards criteria as recommended by the National Health Services Standards (NHSS).

The NHSS requires that a health facility provide specific package of Promotion, Preventative, and Referral Health Services and there are adequate essential supplies and good planning, management, information, and supervision arrangements.

The checklist is a working document that can be reviewed and refined over time. The checklist is being digitized and data is accessible online among other digital health tools which are currently being finalized.

The IMPACT Health Project is implemented by the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health with funding support from World Bank Pacific.

16/05/2025

On our recent visit in East New Britain last week, we visited Christian Health Services Papua New Guinea-run Gaulim Communty Health Post in the Gazelle District where we met 29-year-old Jerelyne Jeffrey, her husband Paul, and children - Jeffrey (4 years old) & Alizha (1 year 2-month old).

The implemented by the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health with support from the World Bank Pacific, is working with Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs) including East New Britain, Central, Sepik & Simbu to improve frontline health services.

The Project among other indicators, aims to improve supportive supervision and minimum standards of care as per the NDoH Health Service Standards at health facilities including Gaulim by conducting Integrated Supervisory Checklist assessments and improve Outreach in the project provinces.

The Project also aims to improve other health indicators for all PHAs across the country including ANC 4th visit for women like Jerelynea and Pentavalent 3rd dose for children like Alizha.

The ENBPHA led by CEO Dr. Ako Yap is determined to improve outreach and immunization indicators as well as supportive supervision in the province and has conducted a mini-Supplementary Immunization Activity (SIA) in April to improve Outreach, Penta-3, and Supportive Supervision in one exercise.

Watch this space as we bring you updates from the mini-SIA exercise and more IMPACT Health Project stories from ENB!.

12/05/2025

The IMPACT Health Project team was in East New Britian on a monitoring and catch-up visit with the East New Britain Provincial Health Authority (ENBPHA) last week.

Our team were privileged to be accompanied by some senior staff of the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health (NDoH).

The NDoH team included Dr. Daoni Esorom, A/Executive Manager Strategic Policy Division, Dr. Lutty Amos, A/Executive Manager, Population and Healthy Communities, Public Health Wing, Martina Suve-Hohora, Manager, AID Coordination & Partnership Branch, Dr. Margerette Kal, Medical Officer, National TB Program and Sybilla Tulem, Manager, HSP Provincial Accounts.

The health project team met with ENBPHA CEO Dr. Ako Yap and his senior management team including Mr. Henry Seseve, Corporate Services Director, Carol Malisa, Finance Manager, Joseph Urauma, HR Manager, Clare Tedor M&E Officer and Dr. Sonny Kambual, Rural Health Outreach Services. Also in attendance were PATH Program Officers Sam Bogen and Dalcie Mausen, Provincial Facilitator.

The IMPACT Health Project team made presentations to the PHA on the progress of ENBPHA meeting some of the Project Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) – a results-based financing system where PHAs are financially rewarded for implementing and meeting set targets and showing evidence of improved percentage increases against baseline targets.

The provincial indicators include timely submission of Annual Implementation Plans, Percentage increase in eligible Level 2- 4 health care facilities that have achieved a Minimum Service Quality Score, Number of Boards that have used routine data for decision-making, and Percentage increase in the number of Outreach visits.

Indicators open to all PHA participation include Percentage increase in the number of pregnant women who have received four (4) or more ANC check-ups, Percentage increase in the number of children under one who have received DPT-3 currently.

Members of the NDoH and project team also had separate meetings and visits with various PHA divisions to discuss specific project activities including Finance, TB, and health facility visits.

PHA performances against each indicator were discussed in detail with the ENBPHA team responding with activities already conducted to improve current performance and current activities to conclude this round of performance assessment including a mini-Supplementary Immunization Activity (SIA) exercise aimed to increase outreach and DPT-3 vaccination coverage.

The IMPACT Health Project is supported by the World Bank Pacific and implemented by the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health.

28/04/2025

Our team was in Kundiawa, Simbu Province last week on a monitoring visit with the Simbu Provincial Health Authority.

The IMPACT Health Project team led by Project Coordinator Mr. Billy Naidi met with the SiPHA corporate, public and curative health team leaders. SiPHA CEO Dr. Ken Kassi later joined our meeting upon arrival from Port Moresby on SiPHA business.

SiPHA Board Deputy Chair Mr. Ian Gore and Provincial Capacity Building Program (PCaB) Advisor Mr. Mathew Tine also joined our meeting with the SiPHA team.

The purpose of the project visiting SiPHA was to discuss results of project indicators with a focus on the upcoming Integrated Supervisory Checklist assessment for Levels 2-4 health facilities in Simbu Provincial Health Authority which needs to happen before 30th June this year.

The Papua New Guinea National Department of Health's Integrated Supervisory Checklist tool is aimed at building a routine culture of service delivery improvement and improved minimum standards of care at health facilities.

The Integrated Supervision Checklist assessment will be conducted in all four IMPACT Health Project provinces including in Simbu, East Sepik, Central and East New Britain.

Follow us on this page as we bring you more information about the Integrated Supervisory Checklist discussions, performance ratings and assessment plans for project provinces.

08/04/2025

World Health Day is observed on April 7 each year. This year's theme focuses on health.

‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures’ calls for governments and the health sector to step up efforts to and , and prioritize and well-being.

The Government through the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health with World Bank Pacific support is working with Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs) to improve health indicators for mothers and children in PNG.

04/04/2025

National Capital District Provincial Health Authority second recipient of Backpack X-ray equipment from Papua New Guinea National Department of Health with World Bank Pacific support

28/03/2025

The IMPACT Health Project recently conducted a workshop with project provinces to review indicators called Disbursement Link Indicators (DLIs), a results-based financing system where Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs) are financially rewarded for implementing and meeting set targets and showing evidence of improved percentage increases against these targets.

The provincial funding through the IMPACT Health Project supports project provinces of East New Britian, Central, East Sepik Provincial Health Authority-ESPHA and Simbu Provincial Health Authority who have performed well from previous years in increasing access and use of quality essential healthcare services through enabling processes, systems, infrastructure, and basic improved health outcomes from year to year.

East New Britain PHA Curative Health Services Director Dr. Patrick Kiromat in the review highlighted that ENB PHA was doing well in meeting some of the targets and indicators but needed to step up to meet others, including improving their outreach visits, using the PHA dashboard for routine decision-making and conducting another Integrated Supervisory Checklist assessment soon to improve their Minimum Quality Service Score for their Level 2- Level 4 health facilities.

“There’s a lot of work for us although we have done well in some areas in East New Britain. I think we really need to step up,” said Dr Kiromat.

The IMPACT Health Project is implemented by the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health with World Bank Pacific support.

26/03/2025