Health in Papua New Guinea

Life expectancy in Papua New Guinea (PNG) at birth was 64 years for men in 2016 and 68 for women,^[1] markedly lower than neighbouring countries: Indonesia, 67 and 71; Australia, 81 and 85.^[2]

Government expenditure health in 2014 accounted for 9.5% of total government spending, with total health expenditure equating to 4.3% of GDP.^[3] There were five physicians per 100,000 people in the early 2000s.^[4]

The 2010 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for Papua New Guinea was 250. This is compared with 311.9 in 2008 and 476.3 in 1990. The under-five mortality rate per 1,000 births is 69, and the neonatal mortality as a percentage of under-fives' mortality is 37. In Papua New Guinea, the number of midwives per 1,000 live births is 1 and the lifetime risk of death for pregnant women is 1 in 94.^[5]

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative^[6] finds that Papua New Guinea is fulfilling 71.9% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income.^[7] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Papua New Guinea achieves 90.8% of what is expected based on its current income.^[8] In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 81.6% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income.^[8] Papua New Guinea falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 42.8% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.^[8]