How the Papua New Guinea health system failed an old soldier

Jack Osi with bagpipes

Jack Osi and family a few weeks before his death

By AARON HAYES

Jack Osi was a familiar face in the Defence Force over the past thirty years.

He was one of the bagpipe players in the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment pipe band and he was often right in the front row of marchers at parades, ceremonies and other special occasions.

He travelled the country performing for dignitaries and the general public alike.

Even after his retirement he was recalled many times to play and march in parades because the new generation of the Defence Force now has only a handful of bagpipe players left.Last year he gave his last two public performances.

One was in front of a camera for a film crew from Ireland shooting a travel show called No Frontiers.

They were doing a jungle trek up the Lakekamu River near Jack's home and when they heard that there was a bagpipe player nearby they insisted on getting him to play for them.

Ireland and Scotland are the two countries where bagpipes originated so the Irish film crew was astonished to hear their national instrument played so expertly out in the middle of the PNG jungle.

Well-known Irish TV personality Kathryn Thomas appeared with Jack in the segment.

The film crew's visit was coordinated by local tour company Ecotourism Melanesia and they also visited Simbai and Mt Wilhelm.

If you have broadband internet access you can watch footage of the show at this internet link: http://www.rte.ie/travel/nofrontiers/20080323_papuanewguinea.html (rte.ie/travel/nofrontiers/20080323_papuanewguinea.html)Jack Osi's final gig was the Independence Day celebrations in Western Province in September last year.

He and some other retired army bandsmen were flown out to Balimo and Kiunga on a charter flight to play at the Independence ceremonies.

Balimo seems like just as strange a place to hear bagpipes as the Lakekamu River.

Sadly, Jack Osi passed away on Easter Saturday night, and his bagpipes now sit quietly in their case, never to be blown by Jack's lips again.

* * * * *

Jack was a fit and healthy 55-year-old but started to experience paralysis on one side of his body just before Christmas.

A CT-scan showed that he had some kind of tumour growing on his brain.

Maybe tuberculoma. Maybe cancer.

Doctors put him in the hospital and said to try treatment for TB first and if that doesn't work, assume it's cancer and try to surgically remove it.

He was in hospital for many weeks but during the nurses strike earlier this year the wards were understaffed and he was discharged.

When the strike was over it took four weeks to get him re-admitted because there weren't any beds.

By this time he was almost completely paralysed and another CT-scan showed the tumour was getting bigger.

Probably cancer because it wasn't responding to TB drugs.

Poor old Jack found it difficult to eat the solid food provided by his family and lost weight rapidly but for some reason the hospital did not put him on a drip.

They don't even seem to have bleach to mop the floors these days so it wouldn't be surprising if they didn't have an IV drip for an old soldier either.

Doctors said to operate but dithered and delayed and then it was too late - he was gone.

Weak from lack of nutrition, he just ran out of life energy well before the tumour could deliver its fatal coup.

But even after death the health system dealt poor old Jack a final body blow.

When he died at midnight, the morgue was closed and the family was told to take his body home for the night and bring him back at 8am in the morning.

His grieving widow and four proud sons had to wheel his still-warm corpse down to the carpark, manhandle him into a sitting position in the back seat of the car and drive him to the house for overnight.

By morning when it was time to drive him back to the hospital, rigor mortis had already set in and the four sons, by now distressed and traumatised by the ordeal, struggled to get the stiffening corpse into the car.

What a humiliating experience for the family of this proud soldier, to have to unload his corpse from the back seat of a car and carry him into the morgue.

But how is Jack Osi's experience any different from any other public health care patient in the city?

The wards are overflowing and waiting lists for beds are very long.

The corridors, toilets and other public areas of the hospital are filthy.

Even in the wards, flywires are ripped and clogged with dirt and many overhead fans, lights, taps and toilets don't work.

The morgue seems to be always full, or closed, or both.

Different doctors do ward rounds each day and patient care seems inconsistent.

One doctor says one thing, another doctor says something else, if you're lucky to get any information at all.

Most of the time doctors are rushing and don't stop to explain properly about the patient's diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

Nurses too never seem to have time to stop and explain what's going on.

Probably shortage of staff, equipment and supplies is the reason for all these problems, and maybe it all boils down to not enough money or not enough prudent use of money.

All Jack Osi's family know is that their father served his country with distinction but when it was time for the national health system to look after the old soldier, it failed miserably.

Donations for Jack Osi's widow Mrs Haro Osi can be deposited to Ecotourism Melanesia Ltd Tour Trust Account ANZ 12024994.

Papua New Guinea’s building boom in pictures

Reef Apartments – Stage 111

Construction to commence in August, 2009.
Reef Apartments are set to reach a new bench mark of excellence in quality, style and finish.
The 18 luxury apartments all have stunning views over Fairfax Harbour, with two of the three bedrooms all with views to the harbour.
Each unit has two spacious undercover car parks.
A separate car wash bay is also provided on site.
The complex will contain a complete entertainment area with all facilities readily available.

IPI Building Lae

The Building consists of a secure semi-basement car parking for all tenants plus separate
off street visitor parking.
It is anticipated that there will be over 1000 square metres ground floor retail area with four floors of commercial space at 750 square metres per level of net lettable Area.
The remaining top two penthouse floors contain a mixture of two and three bedroom boutique apartments totalling 10 that have unsurpassed views to the Huon Gulf and Salamaua.
The entire building has been carefully designed to latest technology while being
Environmentally- friendly and robust to meet the harsh and diverse climate conditions
experienced in Lae.
The building will be a landmark building for Lae and Nambawan Super Limited.

CBD development

Nambawan Super Limited is leading the building boom currently under construction.
Fletcher Morobe Constructions are up to the fifth level of the nine-Level tower when completed.
The building is a boutique commercial and residential development offering an attractive street scape retail facility at ground level.
Two levels of car parking with one level below ground and the other suspended above ground, followed by four levels of commercial office space, each level containing private ablutions for each individual office.
The top two floors will contain six spacious penthouse units that will have stunning views to both Fairfax Harbour and the ocean.
The building has been designed to the highest international environmental standards.

Armit Place

Currently selling individual floors and units ‘off the plan’ through Century 21.
Three levels of secure underground parking
Additional car parking spaces are also available to privately purchase.
Five levels of commercial office space.
Five levels of luxury penthouse-style apartments.

By GARY G. HALLARDAssociate Director/Senior Project Manager
Pacific Architects Consortium (PNG) Limited

Building and construction boom in Papua New Guinea

By GEORGE TIPPING
Commercial Director of K G Contractors Ltd and
Past President of the PNG Institute of Builders

The question on everyone’s lips must be “will the Global Economic Crisis (GEC) affect the PNG construction boom”?
The simple answer is YES, but the real question that should be asked, is “how much will it affect the PNG building and property industry”?
There have been a number of articles written by eminent persons and institutions on the subject of the GEC and its affect on PNG economic activities.
The article that follows concentrates solely on the building and property industry but my reasons for my conclusions relate to the economic forces in play affecting PNG.
Whilst there is a financial crisis in most countries around the World, PNG is certainly the exception.
The main reason is that PNG banks and financial institutions (with minor exceptions) have not participated in overseas lending and share purchases.
The banks have been flush with funds and have been able to lower then maintain interest rates at historically-low levels.
That situation changed recently.
Almost every central bank around the world has been lowering interest rates because of the GEC, but PNG has recently been increasing them.
Deposit and lending rates are up by as much as 2% and the banks are now lending with more caution and requiring greater equity in the project from borrowers.
This will have an effect on new building and property activities being financed within PNG, particularly on the smaller and more marginal projects.
We can visually see the projects underway forming the current building boom.
The boom has come about because of past shortages in all types of accommodation projects including hotel rooms, housing, apartments, commercial office space (both private and government), factories, and shopping centres.
All new building projects require vacant land and this shortage has been particularly severe on residential land for housing.

National residential housing

This sector has been a major disappointment due to the severe shortage of serviced land and the extraordinary high prices now being obtained in the current property market.
I have been warning in the PNG Year Book for the last three years that there was an urgent need to get this sector actively working due to the fact that the “limited window of opportunity” was starting to close.
The sad fact now is that with interest rate increases and market prices in excess of K300,000 for a standard three-bedroom new house / land package, house prices have gone way beyond the capacity of even senior national employees.
Whilst building cost increases have taken place in the vicinity of K20,000, the real increase is being charged by those owning the serviced land.
The window of opportunity has definitely now closed on national residential housing and all the newly-developed policies, reports and public announcements by the National Housing Corporation and others will not revive the situation.
What is needed is a very radical increase in serviced land being made available at affordable and realistic prices but I cannot see that happening in the next few years.
To provide an example of what is happening, a standard residential block of vacant land at 9-Mile was recently advertised for K150,000.
Many of you would all be aware that this same land could have been purchased at 10% of that price only a few years ago.

Hotels

The first-tier major hotels in the NCD have had a very good income during the past few years because the demand has far outstripped supply.
They have been able to increase their tariffs and still the demand has been there, so they have increased the tariffs again and again to the point where they have suddenly met stiff tariff resistance and room occupancies have dropped.
This is whilst everybody else around the world is reducing tariffs.
This overseas tariff reduction will continue because of the GEC but PNG is not immune to those economic forces and we can expect to see less business visitors than in the past. However, on the other hand, the middle-tier of accommodation have improved their occupancy levels because of more-affordable tariffs.
Despite this, there is still a shortage of short and long-term hotel accommodation in the NCD and it is my belief that development of new hotels will continue but with more emphasis on the 3 to 3.5 star level.
Within the last year The Airways (67 rooms), Gateway Hotel and Ela Beach Hotel (44 rooms) have commenced expanding their room numbers and improving their premises. We have not yet seen any physical building activities at the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn.
However, the Holiday Inn is expected to have a major new building programme commencing in 2009.
It is interesting to note that the foreign-based new hotel developers such as the Korean CMSS Casino Hotel and Vision City Hotels upon their completion will compete directly with the established hotels in the NCD.

The current building boom

We can now see four-tower cranes on the NCD skyline, something that could never have been imagined in 2004.
In Hunter Street is Nambawan Super’s nine-storey mixed commercial and residential building (Fletcher Morobe) .
On the rear of the old Papuan Hotel site we can see the major high rise project for Steamships Properties (Fletcher Morobe) and we have seen the activities on the former Hornibrook site also for Steamships (HG Constructions).
We can all see the activity in Harbour City being developed by Curtain Brothers for Nasfund.
The first building is nearing completion (Fletcher Morobe) with the ANZ Bank as tenant, the second building being built by Curtain Bros themselves with a third Nasfund commercial building still to come.
These are the higher-profile projects and as usual it is in the NCD and Lae that we see the larger projects in the PNG building boom.
Lae has a six-storey 18 luxury apartment complex under construction (Lae Builders & Contractors) and a Nambawan Super mixed commercial / residential 8 storey building expected to commence soon.
But there are also a very large number of smaller projects in these cities as well as Madang, Alotau and Mt Hagen all continuing the boom in most urban centres around the whole of PNG.

The Exxon Mobil LNG project

Early visual works are expected to commence in 2010 and part of these comprise the building of two training colleges at Idubada (within the grounds of Port Moresby Technical College) and at Hides.
These are temporary construction colleges which are intended to run for five years then be handed over to PNG.
A permanent training college will be built later for LNG operations at the main plant 20km outside Port Moresby in the Boera district.
The main construction activities are subject to the final decision on proceeding with the world size project which everyone is working positively towards achieving.
A positive decision to proceed will bring another construction and property boom to Port Moresby and many other areas of PNG.


Investors from overseas

Where in the world can you now receive a good interest rate or invest / develop property and still receive an attractive return on investment?
Investors need a country with a relatively stable political and economic environment, a currency that will not devalue and where commercial business law can be understood? The obvious answer must be PNG.
With the GEC severely affecting their home based operations, I believe that the overseas investors who are still cashed up will consider PNG for their new projects.
One of these type of investors already here is Vision City which is being built at a remarkable pace and which now has a recently-erected heavy duty tower crane for all to see.
I expect that we will see more of this type of major investor visiting PNG in the near future to assess the prospects for their property investments.

In summary

What does the future hold for the building and property industry in PNG?
The following prediction excludes the impact of both Exxon Mobil and Interoil LNG plants and is based on supply and demand and other influences that are occurring now as well as known planned projects.
Despite the internal impediments of higher interest rates, inflation, hesitation by some PNG investors due to the GEC, slow NCDC and utility service providers approvals, it is my prediction that the current building and property boom will continue at a high level of activity, particularly for large projects.
How long will this boom last? That is the hard question to answer.
My crystal ball suggests we have another three to four years before the boom slows to more-manageable levels.
However, if the Exxon Mobil LNG project is confirmed, then we will have a scenario of a much larger building and property boom making the current boom seem small by comparison.

A word of caution

Despite the boom, building companies and property developers can still experience financial problems due to many factors and “go broke”.
This boom has shown that there are some inexperienced people in the industry and some medium-sized companies who are taking on projects of significantly greater complexity and size than their experience and working capital will allow.
Late project completions are occurring and these can be devastating on both the builders and property investors’ cash flow.
Errors in tender calculations do occur, increased numbers of tenders and pressures on staff to perform tasks for which they may not be sufficiently experienced is occurring. We have seen a great deal of new and costly equipment coming into the industry.
This is a good sign providing the contractor has a continuing income producing role for that equipment.
The GEC has shown that banks and commercial companies must follow sound commercial practice and not discard the basic rules of business.
Greed has certainly been a factor in the GEC.
The profit factor and human nature being what it is, advantage has been taken of the unsatisfied demand in accommodation in the NCD to dramatically increase rentals and sales prices.
There is always a limit.

Papua New Guinea’s Western province has a lot to offer

A fun-loving girl swings into a river, Western province

Sunset along a river, Western province

Looking at Awaba, Western province

Another look at Awaba, Western province

Along a river in the Western province

A canoe taking part in the annual Gogodala Canoe Festival, Western province

By ZARA KANU

WESTERN Province has a lot to offer in terms of tourism and it would no doubt be a potential tourist destination because of its unique cultures which it can expose to the rest of the world.
The Middle Fly District is made up of three local level governments comprising of Suki, Lake Murray and Balimo.
There are more than 27 villages along the river leading out from Balimo towards the Suki and Lake Murray area and this is where you get to find the real fun -loving character of the local people.
The view along the Aramure River going towards Awaba is about five hours by dinghy and is spectacularly beautiful for those who intend to go bird watching or going fishing.
The bird life will never stop to amaze tourists as you travel along this most-captivating river and find that there is more bird life than one could imagine.
Night hunting is a norm for the locals but can be a good experience for those who love excitement and adventure.
Balimo is renowned for its beauty in the abundance of wildlife and rich culture and the staging of the sixth Gogodala Canoe festival in May was no exception.
“We must look at development from a different perspective because it will bring development and other major benefits,” said Western Province Governor Dr Bob Danaya.
“The Middle Fly is far expanding and there is great potential in promoting tourism here in the province.”
The town is currently under construction to upgrade most of the facilities for the locals and as well as those intending to go for holiday or sightseeing.
Tourists or visitors can check into the Biyama family house where 10 rooms are available for rent if going in a group or as an individual.
The town area is very peaceful and there is a health centre, a few shops and a main market housed in the centre of the town.
Transportation on dinghy along the river can be arranged upon consultation with the district administration and the town committee, or otherwise, a walk around the town can take only half a day.
The Gogodala Canoe Festival is an enriching way to truly appreciate what these people have to offer in terms of natural wildlife and the culture.
This festival is held annually in April and those who are interested can collect more detailed information from the National Cultural Commission website.

Mother's Day 2009

Today is ANZAC Day, however, lest we forget, Mother’s Day is just around the corner…

 

Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 10, 2009.

Mother's Day is celebrated to honor all mothers and express gratitude for the hardships they bear in bringing up a child.

 Most countries including Papua New Guinea celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May.

People take the day as an opportunity to pay tribute to their mothers and thank them for all their love and support.

The day has become hugely popular and in Papua New Guinea, as is the case in several countries around the world, phone lines operated by Telikom and Digicel witness maximum traffic.

There is also a tradition of gifting flowers, cards and others gift to mothers on the Mothers Day.

The festival has become commercialised to a great extent.

Florists, card manufacturers and gift sellers see huge business potential in the day and make good money through a rigorous advertising campaign.

Think of your Mothers on the day!

 

Wallabies

Captions: 1. Mum and Bub 2. Wallaby doe 3. Young wallaby

 

By PAUL OATES in Queensland, Australia

 

Our back lawn has become a Wallaby haven.

Every mooring a small mob descends on the newly-mown grass.

If only they would only leave our passionfruit vines alone I wouldn’t mind so much.

Gogodala Canoe Festival on again

Scene from a previous Gogodala Canoe Festival. Picture courtesy of National Cultural Commission

Gogodala masks. Picture courtesy of National Cultural Commission

Gogodala headdress. Picture courtesy of National Cultural Commission

Gogodala child. Picture courtesy of National Cultural Commission

One of the spectacular war canoes of the Gogodala people. Picture courtesy of National Cultural Commission

By TRAVERTZ MABONE

THE annual Gogodala canoe festival in Balimo, Western province, scheduled for next week, will prove to be bigger and better than previous fetes, The National reports.
At least, this is the hope for organisers of the festival on April 30 and May 1.
The festival came about as part of Balimo district’s agriculture and cultural show five years ago, which is now a major event in the Middle Fly district with annual support from the National Cultural Commission (NCC) and the Rimbunan Hijau PNG Group.
The festival will showcase Gogodala war canoes, the 40m craft renowned for their decorations and artworks depicting animal figures representing various clans.
The war canoes of Gogodala play important roles for the many communities located near the sea and waterways, according to the organisers.
To the NCC, the loss of canoes from the lifestyles of Papua New Guineans will be a loss of an important cultural identity.
The Middle Fly administration thanked the RH Group for this year’s sponsorship.
It also thanked the NCC for the continuous support.