Full Circle or Spiralling Out of Control?: State Violence and the Control of Urbanisation in Papua New Guinea

There is an administrative reluctance to recognise the permanency of urban settlement in Papua New Guinea. This reluctance, evident since the 1960s, has been characteristic of both the colonial and post-colonial administrations. Opposition to some facets of urbanisation continues today, despite growing population and land pressures in most rural areas and real problems of landlessness emerging in particular rural areas. Colonial control of urban populations has been replicated in contemporary times, often in more draconian form. Eviction of urban settlers has been tied to issues of crime and urban respectability, and lingering perceptions that Melanesians should be rural residents. The growth of informal settlements and urbanisation are not seen as issues of urban planning, nor is the context of urban migration linked to socioeconomic inequality, hence other forms of urban policy are largely absent. Strengthening alliances between land-owners and the state (especially police and provincial administrations) have thus emphasised intraurban inequality and hampered national development

Incentives for retaining and motivating health workers in Pacific and Asian countries

This paper was initiated by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) after identifying the need for an in-depth synthesis and analysis of available literature and information on incentives for retaining health workers in the Asia-Pacific region. The objectives of this paper are to

The impact of tubal ectopic pregnancy in Papua New Guinea - a retrospective case review

BACKGROUND: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality amongst women of reproductive age. Tubal EP is well described in industrialised countries, but less is known about its impact in low-resource countries, in particular in the South Pacific Region. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of women with tubal EP treated at a provincial referral hospital in coastal Papua New Guinea over a period of 56 months. Demographic and clinical variables were obtained from patients’ medical records and analysed. The institutional rate of tubal EP was calculated, and diagnosis and management reviewed. Potential risk factors for tubal EP were identified, and delays contributing to increased morbidity described. RESULTS: A total of 73 women had tubal EP. The institutional rate of tubal EP over the study period was 6.3 per 1,000 deliveries. There were no maternal deaths due to EP. The mean age of women was 31.5+/−5.7 years, 85% were parous, 67% were rural dwellers and 62% had a history of sub-fertility. The most commonly used diagnostic aid was culdocentesis. One third of women had clinical evidence of shock on arrival. All women with tubal EP were managed by open salpingectomy. Tubal rupture was confirmed for 48% of patients and was more common amongst rural dwellers. Forty-three percent of women had macroscopic evidence of pelvic infection. Two-thirds of patients received blood transfusions, and post-operative recovery lasted six days on average. Late presentation, lack of clinical suspicion, and delays with receiving appropriate treatments were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Tubal EP is a common gynaecological emergency in a referral hospital in coastal PNG, and causes significant morbidity, in particular amongst women residing in rural areas. Sexually transmitted infections are likely to represent the most important risk factor for tubal EP in PNG. Interventions to reduce the morbidity due to tubal EP include the prevention, detection and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, identification and reduction of barriers to prompt presentation, increasing health workers’ awareness of ectopic pregnancy, providing pregnancy test kits to rural health centres, and strengthening hospital blood transfusion services, including facilities for autotransfusion

Adolescent fertility and family planning in East Asia and the Pacific: a review of DHS reports

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adolescent pregnancy has significant health and socio-economic consequences for women, their families and communities. Efforts to prevent too-early pregnancy rely on accurate information about adolescents' knowledge, behaviours and access to family planning, however available data are limited in some settings. Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) reports are recognised as providing nationally representative data that are accessible to policymakers and programmers. This paper reviews DHS reports for low and lower middle income countries in East Asia and the Pacific to determine what information regarding adolescent fertility and family planning is available, and summarises key findings.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The most recent DHS reports were sought for the 33 low and lower middle income countries in the East Asia and Pacific region as defined by UNICEF and World Bank. Age-disaggregated data for all indicators relevant to fertility and current use, knowledge and access to family planning information and services were sought to identify accessible information. Reported data were analysed using an Excel database to determine outcomes for adolescents and compare with adult women.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>DHS reports were available for eleven countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu and Vietnam. Twenty seven of 40 relevant DHS indicators reported outcomes for adolescent women aged 15-19 years. There were limited data for unmarried adolescents. A significant proportion of women commence sexual activity and childbearing during adolescence in the context of low contraceptive prevalence and high unmet need for contraception. Adolescent women have lower use of contraception, poorer knowledge of family planning and less access to information and services than adult women.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>DHS reports provide useful and accessible data, however, they are limited by the failure to report data for unmarried adolescents and report age-disaggregated data for some indicators. Further research is required to better understand the barriers that both married and unmarried adolescents face accessing reproductive health information and services, and their information and service delivery preferences.</p

Lomaptera insularis VALCK LUCASSEN 1961

Lomaptera insularis VALCK LUCASSEN 1961 (Abb. 3, 4) B e s c h r e i b u n g Körperlänge 18,9 mm, humerale Breite 8,2 mm. Kopf und Pronotum, ausgenommen die gelblichen Ränder, metallisch dunkelgrün. Elytren in der Mitte breit metallisch dunkelgrün, ebenso die Schulterbeule. Die grüne Farbe ist zur Flügeldeckenspitze hin verschmälert; der Rest der Elytren ist gelb gefärbt. Die Unterseite ist metallisch kupferig bis grün, die Beine gelb, Knie und Tarsen metallisch grün, die Klauen gelb. Paramerenbau: mediane Zunge schmaler und spitzer zulaufend als bei Lomaptera gracilis VALCK LUCASSEN, etwa halb so lang wie die Gesamtlänge der Parameren. VALCK LUCASSEN (1961) gibt leider keine Abbildung der Parameren; der Hinweis von RIGOUT & ALLARD (1997), dass der Paramerenbau an Lomaptera gracilis erinnert, stimmt auch nur bedingt, da bei dieser Art die Enden der medianen Zunge breit abgerundet dargestellt werden (RIGOUT & ALLARD: 114). VALCK LUCASSEN (1961: 252) gibt jedoch in seiner Monographie eine Skizze der Farbgebung, so dass davon ausgegangen werden kann, dass es sich um diese Art handelt.Published as part of Mitter, H. & N, Papua, 2012, Zwei bemerkenswerte Rosenkäfer aus Papua-Neuguinea (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Cetoniidae), pp. 327-330 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (1) on page 328, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.532735

Ischiopsopha (Homoeopsopha) orientalis Mitter & N 2012, nov.sp.

Ischiopsopha (Homoeopsopha) orientalis nov.sp. (Abb. 1, 2) H o l o t y p u s Goodenough-Island, 2011, leg. Laurie Wills, NZ (ex coll. F. Stumpe, BRD), in coll. H. Mitter. P a r a t y p u s: 1Ex. vomgleichenFundort, in coll. L. Wills. B e s c h r e i b u n g:Körperlänge 24,5mm,humeraleBreite 11,7mm. Kopf basal schwarz gefärbt, im vorderen Teil gelbbraun mit schwarzen Rändern, Fühler ebenso gelbbraun. Pronotum glänzend braun mit verwaschener, dreieckiger schwarzer Zeichnung, die sich in der Mitte befindet und mit ihrem Spitzenteil den Vorderrand erreicht. Punktierung des Pronotums in der Mitte schwach, an den Seiten stärker und dichter; deutlich chagriniert. Flügeldecken glänzend braun, im Basalteil mit deutlichen Reihenspuren, die sich nach hinten in eine Querkritzelung auflösen. Hinterrand des letzten Tergits gelbbraun. Unterseite einschliesslich der Schenkelbasis glänzend schwarz, Schenkel und Tibien rötlichgelb mit angedunkelten Knien und Tibienenden. Vorder- und Mittelbrust verhältnismässig lang gelbweisslich behaart, Behaarung des Hinterleibes von derselben Farbe, aber nur an den Randpartien, kürzer und spärlicher. Mesosternalprocessus lang und gerade, gegen die Spitze zu etwas erweitert. Der Paramerenbau ist ähnlich wie bei Ischiopsopha castaneipennis (MOSER 1913). D i f f e r e n t i a l d i a g n o s e:DiebeschriebeneArtist Ischiopsopha castaneipennis (MOSER 1913) nahestehend.Published as part of Mitter, H. & N, Papua, 2012, Zwei bemerkenswerte Rosenkäfer aus Papua-Neuguinea (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Cetoniidae), pp. 327-330 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (1) on pages 327-328, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.532735

Malaria case management in Papua New Guinea following the introduction of a revised treatment protocol

This paper reports on the availability of diagnostic tools and recommended anti-malarials in the 12-month period immediately following the implementation of a new national malaria treatment protocol (NMTP) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Health worker adherence to the new NMTP is also examined and comparisons made with previously reported pre-implementation findings.; A countrywide cross-sectional survey in randomly selected primary health care facilities (n = 88). Data were collected via passive observation of the clinical case management of fever or suspected malaria patients and via an interviewer administered questionnaire completed with the officer in charge of each participating health care facility.; Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and the new first-line anti-malarial medication, artemether-lumefantrine (AL), were available in 53.4% and 51.1% of surveyed heath facilities, respectively. However, they were more widely available in the larger health centres as compared to the smaller aid-posts (90.2% vs. 21.3% and 87.8% vs. 19.2%, respectively). Overall, 68.3% of observed fever cases (n = 445) were tested for malaria by RDT and 39% prescribed an anti-malarial, inclusive of 98.2% of RDT positive patients and 19.8% of RDT negative cases. The availability and use of malaria RDTs was greater in the current survey as compared to pre-implementation of the new NMTP (8.9% vs. 53.4% & 16.2% vs. 68.3%, respectively) as was the availability of AL (0% vs. 51.1%). The percentage of fever patients prescribed anti-malarials decreased substantially post implementation of the new NMTP (96.4% vs. 39.0%).; PNG has achieved high coverage of malaria RDTs and AL at the health centre level, but these resources have yet to reach the majority of aid-posts. Malaria case management practice has substantially changed in the 12-month period immediately following the new NMTP, although full protocol adherence was rarely observed

The Creation and Dissolution of Private Property in Forest Carbon: A Case Study from Papua New Guinea

This paper shows how the prospect of a forest carbon market in Papua New Guinea added a new element of instability to national forest policy and property processes that were already moving in contradictory directions. In particular we examine attempts by foreign investors to forge voluntary carbon agreements with customary landowners after the Bali climate change conference of 2007, and the mobilization of state institutions to counter these 'private dealings'. We highlight the connection between the ways that these processes played out at both national and local scales, with a focus on the highly contentious Kamula Doso forest area in Western Province. We conclude with some observations on the way that the constitutional protection of customary land rights inhibits the formalization of marketable rights in forest resources, including forest carbon, and creates an inconclusive circularity in the operation of forest policy and property processes at different levels of social and political organization