More than 80% of patients presenting to PMGH Emergency Department are Category 3 cases, many of whom should be managed at district-level emergency facilities within the city. However, NCDPHA and Central PHA do not operate functional emergency departments, leaving PMGH as the default destination for all emergencies regardless of severity. This statement was released by the hospital following public complaints on the long waiting hours at ED and not treated on the timely manner.
The Port Moresby General Hospital notes that its Emergency Department is currently the only fully functioning public emergency department serving a city population of more than one million people. As a result, it is carrying an unsustainable burden.
Compounding this challenge is the lack of Level 4 hospitals serving Moresby North East and Moresby South Districts.
Furthermore, PMGH claims that Gerehu Hospital, which serves Moresby North West, does not currently have a fully functional emergency department capable of managing the demand. Consequently, patients from all parts of the city continue to present directly to PMGH.
In response to this growing demand, PMGH and NCDPHA established the Six Mile Clinic Emergency Department as a filtering arm of PMGH Emergency. Over the past two years, this service has expanded from a day clinic to a 24-hour emergency service. While this initiative has helped, the facility is now also overwhelmed due to the increasing number of patients seeking care.
The hospital reiterated that it is a Level 6 referral hospital and should primarily be receiving Category 1 and Category 2 emergency cases, as well as specialist referrals. However, population growth, urban migration, and the absence of functioning district-level emergency services mean that PMGH continues to absorb the majority of emergency presentations.
The Port Moresby General Hospital has now recommended that to manage the 80% of Category 3 patients,
•An urgent establishment of a Level 4 Hospital must be established for Moresby South
•An urgent establishment of a Level 4 Hospital for Moresby North East and
•Immediate upgrading of Gerehu Hospital to function effectively as a Level 4 facility with a fully operational emergency department for Moresby North West.
These investments would allow patients to access emergency care closer to home while ensuring PMGH can focus on its role as the country’s premier referral hospital.
PMGH’s Plans to expand the Emergency Department are welcome and necessary but it reiterates that expansion alone will not solve the problem if the district health services within NCD remain underdeveloped and non-functional.
