PNG cancer centre set to open its doors to all patients in the Pacific

Papua New Guinea is positioning its new cancer centre as a regional service for Pacific patients.

Prime Minister James Marape says people from countries including Vanuatu will be able to access treatment in Port Moresby at subsidised local rates.

The new oncology and radiology centre is expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.

Pacific families facing cancer could get a cheaper option than sending patients to Australia, Singapore, Malaysia or the Philippines for specialist care.

Marape says Ni-Vanuatu patients would only need to cover their airfare to Port Moresby, with treatment expected to cost between 3000 and 4000 kina (NZ$1154.95 to NZ$1539.94).

The proposal was welcomed by former Vanuatu Health Minister and Ambae MP, John Still Tari Qetu, who called for a formal referral system between the two countries.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says patients from Pacific countries including Vanuatu will be able to access treatment at subsidised rates. Photo/PNG government

But research into health systems across the Pacific shows a regional model will depend on more than having a specialist facility in Port Moresby.

A World Health Organization (WHO)-backed study of overseas medical referrals across 16 Pacific island countries found that referral systems face challenges around cost, quality, equity and coordination.

The study called for them to be better integrated into national health systems.

Former Vanuatu Health Minister John Still Tari Qetu has called for a formal referral system between Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. Photo/Vanuatu parliament

The idea of a regional cancer service also comes as Pacific health experts call for cancer care to be designed around the needs of Pacific communities.

Saffron-Moana Mitchell, Head of Equity and Cancer Services at the Cancer Society Waikato/Bay of Plenty, has previously called for greater Pacific leadership in cancer care.

“When it's Pacific-led, people come up with the answers themselves. They have the solutions within, so we need to make sure the system's designed by them, for them,” she .

Mitchell has also warned that Pacific communities do not need to start from scratch, but need greater investment in providers already working within communities.

“We don't need to start from scratch... we actually need to invest in those providers that are already working within communities.”

Pacific cancer researchers have also recommended stronger regional collaboration, including sharing expertise and coordinating cancer referrals as many island nations do not have the resources to provide comprehensive cancer services themselves.

Watch Saffron-Moana Mitchell's full interview on Pacific Mornings below.

Research by the University of Melbourne's Nossal Institute for Global Health and Pacific health researchers found that smaller Pacific countries face challenges providing specialist services because "resources are limited and case-loads too low to support local specialists".

The study, which looked at overseas medical referrals across 16 Pacific island countries, found referral systems were often weak or incomplete and said they needed to be better integrated into national health systems.

The researchers said: "With these reforms, a move towards increased regional cooperation and some form of strategic purchasing is possible."

Qetu says Vanuatu should make use of specialist services being developed elsewhere in the region than trying to build every service itself.

"There is no need for Vanuatu to try and build an advanced hospital that competes with what PNG is establishing," Qetu said. "If our big brother builds an advanced facility, we should use it."

Qetu's comments point to a wider idea for Pacific healthcare - countries working together and developing specialist services that can be shared across the region.

The WHO has highlighted the challenges Pacific island countries face in providing specialist healthcare, including the cost and coordination of overseas referrals. Photo/WHO

Qetu says this could help smaller island countries avoid the high cost of building and maintaining advanced medical facilities on their own.

He also raised concerns about the environmental risks linked to radiotherapy including the disposal of hazardous radioactive waste.

For small island states, he says building individual radiotherapy facilities could create waste disposal challenges that are difficult to manage within limited land areas.

Marape says PNG has been steadily expanding its specialist medical services since 2019.

Port Moresby surgical teams are now carrying out open-heart bypass operations while PNG completed its first kidney transplant last year and is working towards developing further transplant services.

Listen to Wellington mother Briar Avatea and skin cancer specialist Dr Sonja Bodley's interview on Pacific Mornings below.

The new cancer centre is being built to Australian and New Zealand clinical standards, according to the PNG government.

It says the centre could offer a new way of dealing with one of the region's major health challenges by bringing specialist treatment closer to home.

The government says the next step will be establishing formal referral arrangements so patients and health authorities across the region know how the service will work and who can access it.

Watch PNG Prime Minister James Marape's announcement of the new cancer facility below.