Port Moresby General Hospital bed shortage issue raised in Parliament

Port Moresby General Hospital is facing a critical shortage of beds and severe overcrowding, particularly in its surgical and maternity wards, prompting a parliamentary inquiry. Sir Puka Temu, the Member for Abau, directly questioned Health Minister Elias Kapavore about the situation and the government's response.

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Two senior doctors have complained of no beds in the Port Moresby General Hospital, both a specialist surgeon and a specialist obstetrician.

Sir Puka highlighted that senior medical staff, including a specialist surgeon and an obstetrician, have reported the lack of available beds. He pressed the Minister on whether a study had been conducted to assess the cost of this bed shortage and requested details on the results. Sir Puka also reminded the Minister of a K12 million cabinet approval in September 2025 for additional delivery beds in NCD clinics, asking when these funds would be allocated.

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Port Moresby General Hospital was built in the 1980s, and its capacity was designed to serve a population of 300,000 in the National Capital District at the time. Today, more than 1 million people live in NCD. That’s why the maternity ward and PMGH are struggling; they were meant to cater for a much smaller number.

Minister Kapavore acknowledged the hospital's capacity issues, explaining that it was originally designed in the 1980s to serve a population of 300,000 but now caters to over one million residents in the National Capital District. He noted that the maternity ward alone handles approximately 17,000 births annually, with about 60 births per day, contributing to the strain.

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For the first time, more mothers are delivering outside PMGH.

To address the overcrowding, Kapavore stated that the government is upgrading smaller clinics, with Six-Mile and Gerehu clinics undergoing renovation and the Metoreia clinic already completed with two delivery beds. He also mentioned that the government is investing in specialist care, aiming to relieve PMGH so it can focus on high-level illnesses like cardiac and cancer. A significant K200 million commitment has been made to improve the cancer facility, with the goal of no longer needing to refer cancer patients overseas for treatment.

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Our government committed K200 million to fixing the cancer facility. For the first time this year, our aim is not to allow or refer anybody who’s got cancer to go overseas anymore.