A New Zealand medical and logistics support team with essential supplies to assist Papua New Guinea with its covid-19 crisis has departed New Zealand.

Associate Foreign Minister Aupito William Sio said the PNG government had formally requested humanitarian and medical support from partner governments to respond to the health crisis, with rising case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths due to the current delta surge.

As of November 9, PNG has recorded 415 covid-19 deaths with local media reporting the health system is unable to cope with the medical crisis.

Aupito said New Zealand was deeply saddened by the increasing loss of lives in Papua New Guinea due to the pandemic.

“New Zealand remains committed to supporting its Pacific neighbours to respond to the challenges posed by the covid-19 pandemic,” the minister said.

“By working closely with our partners in the region, we can make a tangible contribution to covid-19 resilience,” Aupito said.

A logistics component comprising two NZ Defence Force logisticians and a NZ Defence Force Environmental Health Officer will support the PNG National Control Centre in the capital, Port Moresby.

A clinical component comprising two doctors and three nurses from private company Respond Global, two Fire and Emergency NZ logisticians and a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will be based in Bougainville to support the Bougainville Department of Health.

“Most of the team departed Saturday morning on a New Zealand Defence Force aircraft and will be based in Papua New Guinea for approximately one month,” Aupito William Sio said.

There are already medical teams on the ground from Australia and Britain assisting Papua New Guinea with the medical crisis.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Employees of the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) have challenged the legality of the “no jab, no job” policy imposed by NCDC on Port Moresby with a lawsuit.

Lawyer George Kaore, representing the NCDC Workers Association, appeared before Deputy Chief Justice Ambeng Kandakasi to seek certain interim orders at the National Court in Waigani.

City manager Bernard Kipit, Governor Powes Parkop and NCDC were named as defendants in the case.

Kaore said the NCDC employees filed the case for the court to enforce the rights of the workers pursuant to section 41 of the Constitution (Prescribed Acts) and section 48 of the Constitution (Freedom of Employment).

He said the covid-19 vaccination should not be mandatory in the workplace.

However, Justice Kandakasi advised Kaore to provide to the court a list of NCDC workers who were vaccinated and those who were not vaccinated.

Justice Kandakasi also told Kaore to provide a list of the non-vaccinated NCDC staff who had taken a covid-19 test.

‘Basic information’ not provided
Justice Kandakasi said such basic information was not provided by the plaintiffs to the court.

After considering submissions from the parties, he ordered the National Executive Council (NEC), Health Minister Jelta Wong, and the National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning to be added as defendants to the case.

The court ordered the government through NEC, Wong and Manning to provide a copy of the National Covid-19 Pandemic Response plan, the strategic implementation plan and all relevant details about the covid-19 awareness, contact tracing and isolation.

Justice Kandakasi said the case by the NCDC Workers Association would be heard together with the case filed by the Human Rights Advocacy International.

The Human Rights Advocacy International filed the case in the National Court claiming that the “no jab, no job” policy implemented by some government agencies, private companies and public statutory institutions was unconstitutional.

The case has been adjourned to November 16.

Charles Moi is a reporter for The National newspaper. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Urban clinics in Papua New Guinea’s second city Lae have closed for an indefinite period following attacks on health workers.

Anti-vaxxers have been verbally or physically attacking health workers over false claims of state mandatory vaccinations against the covid-19 pandemic.

Health workers and support staff manning facilities around the city have reported incidents of stone throwing, swearing and threats to their personal safety, with some people viewing them as “agents of a forced covid-19 vaccine”.

The National reported at the weekend on an attack on a three-member ambulance crew by people last Thursday wrongly believing St John Ambulance staff were administering vaccines.

A surge in covid misinformation and disinformation on social media is hampering health authorities in their work.

While the Morobe Provincial Health Authority is yet to advise residents about the crisis, health workers say nobody is manning the clinics as they have all been asked to stay at home until further notice.

A visit to the Malahang and Butibam clinics revealed that similar notices were posted saying: “Haus sik bai pas inap ol bosman/bosmeri i tok orait lo open gen”. (Hospital will close until approval is received from bosses.)

The next option for residents is to go to the overcrowded ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital or visit private clinics and pharmacies.

Barely 1 percent vaccinated
Asia Pacific Report reports only 1.2 percent of the nine million Papua New Guineans are vaccinated against covid-19.

According to the John Hopkins University covid dashboard, 29,715 cases of covid and 370 deaths have been reported on Papua New Guinea but health officials fear the real toll is far higher because of limited testing and records.

John Hopkins has reported that the total death toll from covid-19 has now passed five million globally.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Demonstrators gathered in Port Moresby yesterday for a march to Parliament in protest over the covid-19 vaccines, which they claimed wrongly to be mandatory, a day after Papua New Guinean police warned such gatherings were illegal.

The protest was a result of a post circulating on social media about a “peaceful protest march” planned for the day against mandatory vaccination.

Despite assurances from Controller of the Pandemic Response and Police Commissioner David Manning that the notice circulated was false and misleading because vaccination was not mandatory and still remained a personal choice, the protesters gathered for the rally.

The anti-vaccine crowd disobeyed advice from the police to disperse. Instead, they took to the Gordon bus stop, gained momentum from others who joined them and attempted to march through a residential street towards the Wardstrip Primary School and on to Parliament.

However, police thwarted their their attempts by blocked the route and spoke to the crowd who disregarded social distancing and masks.

The NCD/Central Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Anthony Wagambie Jnr, addressed the crowd. He said their concerns had already been heard.

It was not clear who the organisers of the march were.

Endangering public safety
ACP Wagambie explained that the march had to be stopped by police to prevent disorder stemmed that would endanger the safety of others in Port Moresby.

The anti-vaxxers carried a banner with messages condemning “666” and “artificial intelligence”.

Misinformation about the covid-19 vaccines is currently swamping genuine information available to Papua New Guineans and is allowing fear and confusion to gain momentum.

Asia Pacific Report reports only 1.2 percent of the nine million Papua New Guineans are vaccinated against covid-19.

According to the John Hopkins University covid dashboard, 29,715 cases of covid and 370 deaths have been reported on Papua New Guinea but health officials fear the real toll is far higher because of limited testing and records.

John Hopkins has reported that the total death toll from covid-19 has now passed five million globally.

Marysilla Kellerton is a Loop PNG reporter.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz