HIV is a serious problem in Papua New Guinea (PNG). A 2002 AusAID report said that PNG has the highest rate of HIV in the Pacific region and is now the fourth country in the Asia-Pacific region with a generalised epidemic; it is estimated that by 2010, HIV prevalence rates could reach as high as 18%.

In 2001, a group of like-minded pharmaceutical companies formed an informal consortium to address the HIV issue in PNG, and in 2003 the Collaboration for Health in Papua New Guinea (CHPNG) was established. Discussions with National Association for People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA), Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM), AusAID and others identified two collaborative initiatives:

• To establish and strengthen the role of HIV day care centres – local facilities where those with HIV and their families can be counselled, sheltered and advised
• To strengthen the capacity of health care teams – the primary focus has been working with community faith based organisations as the majority of the prevention, care and support is conducted for people with HIV/AIDS in the community settings in PNG

Day care centres

HIV carries a stigma in PNG – those infected can become ostracised and victimised. This is why creating a positive space for those living with the virus is a major priority. In partnership with NAPWA, the day care centres provide their community a place where they are safe, counselled and supported and that encourage “positive living”.

In 2003, 15 people living with HIV and their carers from across PNG were funded to attend a facilitated study tour in Cairns. They visited local centres for people living with HIV/AIDS and after observing, attended a two-day reflection session where they discussed what they had seen and the learnings they thought could be taken back to their communities. After returning to PNG, they were asked to tell their stories about the changes they had been able to make in their own communities.

“Everyone on the study tour experienced the transformative power of the concept of living positively. They came to understand living positively as a state of mind and a way of living with the knowledge of being infected. Participants went back to PNG empowered by what they have learnt,” says Elizabeth Reid, Senior Advisor to CHPNG.

Building capacity of healthcare teams

The second initiative links the CHPNG with ASHM and continues to build the capacity of health teams to care and support patients with HIV. The vision is to empower these people to provide the knowledge and care that is needed to cope with HIV in one of the most diverse and vulnerable cultures on earth.

Through a series of workshops, mentoring visits by trained personnel, evaluation and implementation, teams from individual centres gained knowledge about HIV infection and the comprehensive and life long care needed by those who depend on them for such care.

“I became more interested in the spiritual, social, physical and psychological needs of the people living with HIV, as well as their care,” stated Maggie, a Health Extension Officer at a one of the clinics in PNG.

Three workshops were held over eight months, interspersed with visits from mentors to evaluate progress and advise where needed. The initiative has been a process of learning, action and evaluation. The teaching materials and style incorporate local traditions of storytelling and drama, and getting them right means that other organisations can use the resources as well.

Approximately 250 doctors, nurses, health administrators, counsellors and lab technicians have attended the workshops run by CHPNG. Other organisations are now looking to run workshops in order to educate and reach an even greater number of people.

The Collaboration continues to work with their Australian and PNG partners to help make a difference to the lives of the people in PNG.

Contact: Louise Burton
Telephone: +61 2 9850 3767
Website: click here

The current members of the CHPNG

Boehringer Ingelheim, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Pfizer Australia, continue to work with their Australian and PNG partners to improve the health of people with HIV in PNG.