Quality of health services in Papua New Guinea: what do we know?

The discussion of quality issues in Papua New Guinea requires that attention be focused on what is known about the actual quality of the health care provided in Papua New Guinea. Since 1987 there has been increasing evidence that there are serious deficits in the quality of care in rural areas and that there are similar problems in the country's hospitals. This paper summarizes what is known and discusses the implications for the development of quality assurance activities in Papua New Guinea. The paper concludes that many of the deficiencies observed are amenable to improvement through simple and inexpensive means and that with sustained commitment, improvements are achievable.