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The Cost of Crime
Milne Bay a widely known province of peaceful communities and strong cultural identity. Yet in recent years, that image has been deeply shaken by waves of crime and violence that left many residents living in fear. During the height of this unrest, the province drew national attention as criminal activity escalated, and law enforcement struggled…
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Cancer Awareness Visit to Jack’s of PNG
October is the month dedicated to breast cancer awareness. Earlier this month, I had the privilege of joining one of my colleagues and one of my bosses to visit Jack’s of PNG warehouse at Hohola, Port Moresby, for a cancer awareness program organized by the PNG Cancer Foundation. The Foundation regularly coordinates visits by doctors…
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The Papua New Guinea Medical Journal: A National Platform for Health Research and Knowledge.
The Papua New Guinea Medical Journal (PNG Med J) holds a unique place in the history of medicine and public health in the Pacific. First published in May 1955 under the title Papua and New Guinea Medical Journal, it emerged as a platform for sharing medical research and clinical experiences relevant to the then Territory…
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Port Moresby General Hospital Patient Safety Day & Independence Roadshow 2025
Friday 19th September was one of those rare hospital days that felt less like work and more like a festival. Port Moresby General Hospital came alive as we celebrated World Patient Safety Day & Independence Roadshow. The Pathology team began the day as usual with our morning meeting and on-call handover, then we quickly mapped…
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A Strong Child
He was a quiet, smart young lad who somehow always had a huge smile on his face. Ward rounds were a mixture of emotions, as he was always happy to greet the team but reluctant to show us his wounds. Most days were bearable, as he only needed to fight through the pain of daily…
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What is a Full Blood Examination?
A Full Blood Examination (FBE), also known as a Full Blood Count (FBC) or Complete Blood Count (CBC), is one of the most commonly requested blood tests in hospitals and clinics across Papua New Guinea. Whether a patient is well or unwell, the FBE is often one of the first tests done. The name “full…
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Pathology as a Career in Papua New Guinea
Introduction Pathology is the study of disease. Pathology is important because in order to treat a disease we need to identify, confirm the disease and understand how the disease works. Pathology is the bridge between science and medicine. If you’ve ever been to hospital and had to get a blood test, that is a pathology…
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National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender Based Violence (2016-2025) review
I recently attended the first of many National GBV 2016-2025 strategy review listening tours in Alotau run by the team from the National GBV Secretariat to share and discuss new strategies for the prevention and response to GBV in PNG into the future. The current National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence 2016-2025…
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From Clinics to Specialists: The Importance of Patient Referrals
A patient referral occurs when a healthcare provider directs a patient to another provider or specialist for additional care. This is a formal process with documentation that accompanies the patient and can also be preceded by a case discussion or communication between the referring and receiving clinician or hospital. This process is essential to ensure…
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Food safety
I walked into my local supermarket the other day hoping to buy something nice for dinner. What greeted me at the meat section of this fairly new Asian owned store was nothing short of astonishing. The protein that was displayed did not look or smell like they were meant for human beings to buy, take…
