PNG Health Minister urges MPs to put politics aside
Papua New Guinea Health Minister Jelta Wong has appealed for Members of Parliament to put aside party and personal politics and focus on the COVID-19 crisis.
Speaking in Parliament this week, Wong advocated for MPs to unify and help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wong said “This is also a time when we need to put any party or personal politics aside...
COVID-19 caused rise in TB deaths for first time in a decade, gains ‘reversed’
Deaths from tuberculosis – one of the top infectious killers in the world - have increased for the first time in a decade, as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.
New data from the UN health agency highlighted how years of global progress in tackling the preventable disease had been “reversed”...
Ten ‘high-risk’ PNG provinces required to implement Covid-19 measures
Ten provinces in Papua New Guinea have been classified as “high-risk”, requiring that they implement measures which suits them best to address the Covid-19 surge.
They are Morobe, Chimbu, Enga, Hela, Jiwaka, Southern Highlands, Western, West Sepik, Western Highlands and Eastern Highlands.
National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning told The National that the 10 provinces would have to submit to his...
100,000 Pfizer doses will arrive in Fiji Monday
Fiji's Ministry of Health and Medical Services is expecting the Pfizer vaccine, earmarked to be administered on children aged 12 to 14, to arrive into the country by Monday.
Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, confirmed the proposed arrival date of the 100,000 doses while visiting the Western Division with Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama Wednesday.
Dr Waqainabete said...
Aviation Academy was the heart of Fiji Airways during the pandemic
Fiji Airways Aviation Academy played a key role in ensuring the national airline operated during this pandemic.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said the multimillion dollar facility ensured pilots were kept airworthy and cabin crew were able to do their in service training.
Bainimarama highlighted that through this, Fiji Airways was able to bring in not only vaccines but also operate repatriation...
All deaths in PNG unvaccinated: Health Minister Wong
The 252 people reported to have died of the Covid-19 around the country were all unvaccinated, according to Papua New Guinea Health and HIV/Aids Minister Jelta Wong.
He added that 99 percent of Covid-19 patients in hospitals around the country were also unvaccinated.
He told Parliament that “100 percent of the patients are in critical care and requiring oxygen”.
“Official cumulative numbers...
AUKUS disrupts “a very peaceful part of planet earth”
By Nic Maclellan
With anti-nuclear sentiment on the rise across the islands, the Morrison government’s nuclear submarine ambitions have undercut the prime minister’s claim to be part of the Pacific family.
“The sense of a regional identity, being Pacific islanders, is felt most acutely in the movement towards a nuclear free and independent Pacific.” So wrote the late Epeli Hau’ofa,...
Telstra deal to buy Digicel’s Pacific assets almost signed and sealed
A deal to provide more than $1.5 billion (US$1.1 billion) in taxpayer money to help Telstra buy telecommunications assets in the Pacific is weeks away from being sealed.
Senior officials in Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been discussing the prospect of the Australian telco giant buying Digicel Pacific, owned by Irish...
When disaster strikes, developing countries still too vulnerable
Many developing nations remain unprotected against disaster, even though it is accepted that building community resilience has many benefits, beyond saving lives and livelihoods.
That’s the alert from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who on Wednesday – the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) – urged greater international solidarity for the many countries that are unable to protect themselves.
“Weak governance, growing...
Inaugural women’s leadership awards for disaster risk reduction granted to Fijian trailblazer
The inaugural Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards have been granted to Vasiti Soko, Director of the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) in Fiji, and Dr Nuraini Rahma Hanifa, an earthquake scientist who founded U-INSPIRE Alliance which brings together young professionals in science, engineering and technology to reduce disaster risk.
The prestigious awards, which come...