Australia’s role in helping PNG respond to COVID must be independently scrutinised

Last weekend dozens of Papua New Guineans lay in at least four of the nation's major hospitals desperately in need of oxygen to prevent them from dying from the Covid pandemic.

I was sent a desperate text message from one Papua New Guinean doctor at a major hospital highlighting the lack of oxygen, ventilators, and even the most basic medicines and drugs. He sought prayers stating that only prayer could help his patients, and colleagues, in the tragic circumstances that were rapidly escalating.

It emerged on Monday that major hospitals were without oxygen because the PNG Health Department had owed the major oxygen supplier K14 million ($A6 million) for some time. As a result supplies were not delivered to the nation's public hospitals. By Tuesday payment had been made and oxygen supplies were delivered to major hospitals.

We do not know, and will never know, how many Papua New Guineans, many of them young, died because of this gross negligence and incompetence by officials charged with ensuring hospitals and health centres have absolutely critical supplies, especially oxygen.

With national elections due in Papua New Guinea within nine months there is no chance the PNG Government will hold an independent inquiry into how Covid funds have been spent, and why every hospital in PNG has had inadequate medical supplies and oxygen for weeks, if not months.

But the time has arrived for there to be an independent inquiry into the adequacy and suitability of Australia's assistance to the PNG National Government since the pandemic began 20 months ago.

The inquiry could be conducted by the Federal Parliament's Foreign Affairs or Public Accounts Committee or a select committee appointed by resolution of the Senate or the House of Representatives. Or it could be set up by the Prime Minister.

The inquiry, in whatever form it takes, should not be a "witch hunt" aimed at individual officials, or ministers. It needs to be a wide ranging and forensic examination into how Australia's generous support was determined, and how it has been distributed in Papua New Guinea.

Australia has easily been the most generous supporter of our nearest neighbour in responding to the pandemic. The total value of our direct Covid support exceeds $350 million. Some of that has been in the form of skilled medical advisory support, and the generous supply of high quality vaccines. We also supplied some other needs such and oxygen and ventilators.

But a substantial portion of our support has been in the form of direct cash payments to the PNG Government. There has been no transparent assessment of what has happened to the cash. There is a widespread belief in Papua New Guinea that some of it when directly to MPs to provide urgent Covid response services for their "districts" or electorates.

To our generous $350 million plus in support directly relating to the pandemic, Australia has continued to be the leading deliverer of aid (Development Assistance) amounting to around $600 million this year. To that needs to be added the $250 million Australia "lent" PNG last year to help fund a growing budget deficit. The same, or more, is expected to be given again this year.

So in total our assistance to Papua New Guinea this year alone will be around $1 billion.

What an independent inquiry could initially look at is whether or not "cash" for the pandemic response was appropriate and effective?

Given that the pandemic in PNG is escalating rapidly and at a pace that is completely beyond the capacity of the "failed" PNG health system to manage, with hospitals and health centres nationwide overcrowded, woefully short of vital drugs and medicines, and with inadequate supplies of oxygen and other services, there can be no doubt Australia will be called on to provide further assistance.

The inquiry must determine whether the cash component of our generous support has been transparently spent. There is wide view in PNG that it has not been. But only an inquiry can determine that.

And this is the first issue which much be addressed. The good people of Papua New Guinea, in these desperate times, deserve our most effective, targeted and urgent support. I don't believe giving cash to a government facing a tough election in the coming months can be relied on to deliver that.

The question which has troubled me all week, after I saw the desperate text from the doctor providing front line support to very ill, and dying, patients, is simple – if we had given PNG more oxygen, drugs, and ventilators rather than cash would the nation's major hospitals been desperately short of oxygen last weekend?

I am sure that the enormity of our support, and our capacity to purchase and deliver oxygen and drugs efficiently, would have meant major hospitals has adequate key supplies to meet the demand from desperately ill patients.

Let's say our cash component to support PNG has totalled $100 million. To that needs to be added a proportion of our $600 million aid program and a share of the $250 million plus "loan" we have generously provided.

Had we delivered vital supplies, and services, and not cash, there would still be a Covid crisis in Papua New Guinea. But in my view the capacity of the nation's hospitals to respond to it would have been significantly enhanced.

What is wrong with an independent, forensic, inquiry looking into the adequacy, and appropriateness, of our generous support for our closest neighbour?

Transparency in the bi-lateral arrangements is more vital than ever as we give PNG more support than we have done for many years. That support in needed, but it must surely be transparently delivered?

As I write, the vaccination rate in Papua New Guinea remains under 2 per cent. The Delta variant is spreading across most of PNGs provinces rapidly. The nation's hospitals and health centres are simply unable to cope. And what is not known is how many citizens, and their children, are not receiving treatment for malaria, typhoid and other serious diseases.

I have written extensively about vaccination hesitation, and outright resistance In just about all sectors of the community. Our role in helping address vaccine opposition must also be reviewed.

I conclude with a wholly depressing but frank comment on the state of vaccination in Papua New Guinea reported this week on the 'DEVPOLICY' blog.

An official of the Bank of Papua New Guinea, Win Nicholas, in his private capacity revealed that only about 30 of his 200 work colleagues had taken up the offer to get vaccinated. If that is the ratio in a highly educated and skilled workforce, what is it in rural villages where the majority have limited or no education?

Australia must continue to support our closest neighbour, and our best friend, in these most dire and worsening times. But now, more than ever our generous support must get directly to the nine million men, women and children of Papua New Guinea – directly, and generously!