Private Health Sector Mushrooming in PNG.

Despite the current rescession in the developed world, PNG continues to enjoy modest economic growth. The private sector has seen it grow from the simple Mola's private hospital to many more today. The middle class in PNG is growing, and more big companies like the miners want better health care for their employees. Also see the report below.

The study, published in this month's online version of the Medical Journal of Australia, found that women giving birth in public hospitals had more than twice the rate of severe perineal tearing.

The study shows perinatal death was more than twice as likely to occur in public hospital births and so was the need for high-level resuscitation.

It also found more teenage women gave birth at public hospitals, while women aged 40 years and over chose private care.

Indigenous women who live outside metropolitan areas were most likely to give birth in public hospitals.

Public hospitals also recorded higher levels of self-reported pregnancy smokers and pregnancy complications such as diabetes and hypertension.

Induced labor, caesarean and instrumental births were all more common in private hospitals.

The report's senior author, Associate Professor Steve Robson from the Australian National University, says the study covered nearly 780,000 births over four years.

He says babies born in public hospitals were more than twice as likely to need intensive care.

"There were higher odds of the baby needing high-level resuscitation, there were higher odds that the baby would need to be admitted to neo-natal intensive care nursery," he said.

Associate Professor Robson says he was surprised with the findings, as there is a widespread view that the high level of medical intervention in private hospitals is not always good for women.

He says the study shows the outcomes for women and their babies appear to be better in the private system.

Our Comment.
The study is not a good one as private hospitals see rich healthy patients, and there is less work with more money. In PNG, doctors who work in the public, could do a better job if facilities were better.