ZCZC
BCN-28
PNG-ADB-FINANCING-PACKAGE
ADB grants 195 mln dollars loan to support Papua New Guinea’s health
program
MANILA, June 1, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) said
on Friday that its Board of Directors has approved a total financing package
of 195 million U.S. dollars “to support the delivery of accessible,
affordable, and high-quality health services” in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The financing package is comprised of two regular loans worth 100 million
U.S. dollars and 45.10 million U.S. dollars and a 49.9-million-U.S. dollar
concessional loan – all sourced from ADB’s ordinary capital resources balance
sheet – to help PNG’s efforts in achieving universal health coverage, the
Manila-based bank said.
Despite a period of high economic growth in recent years, averaging 6
percent annually from 20062015, the ADB said PNG failed to achieve its
targets for the Millennium Development Goals on maternal and child health.
Life expectancy in the country relative to income is low at 65 years and
the estimated burden of disease is dominated by chronic diseases, including
stroke and heart disease, together with conditions of poverty such as
pneumonia and neonatal conditions, the ADB said.
It said limited investments in the country’s health infrastructure as well
as suboptimal health sector governance also undermine service delivery.
The Health Services Sector Development Program combines a policy-based
operation and project financing to support critical sector reforms and
investments in PNG, enabling the long-term sustainability and effective use
of the country’s health sector financing. Deficiencies in health sector
governance, weak public financial management, and fragmented funds flows will
also be addressed, the ADB said.
“The program will support the implementation of an integrated public
health model linking primary and secondary health facilities in rural areas
to improve patient health outcomes,” the ADB said.
Moreover, it said the program will also support decentralized health
service delivery by focusing on capacity building of staff at the sub-
national level in public financial management and reporting to better plan
and budget.
“It will strengthen health service delivery by rehabilitating rural
healthcare infrastructure, improving the availability of medical supplies,
supporting new health partnerships, and using smart technologies to support
digital information systems,” the ADB said.
BSS/XINHUA/HR/