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Countries and Regions Country Assistance Plans Document
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Country Assistance Plans - Papua New Guinea : III. Sector Strategies
C. Social Infrastructure and Environment1. Health39. Human development remains one of the most important priorities of the ADB program in PNG. Health (including population) indicators are very poor, especially for women. The health sector has suffered from uneven and reduced recurrent budgets; continuing budget stringency has reemphasized the need for effective use of resources. The outreach and quality of services must improve, with priority given to rural rather than urban health care, preventive rather than curative services, and basic rather than advanced treatment. The Government's health policy and health plan, developed with ADB assistance, focus on these considerations. The ADB is assisting implementation through the HSDP, which started in 1998 and is expected to continue through 2001. The ADB will provide assistance in reviewing progress in implementing the Health Program. The main priority in the health and population sector will be to consolidate past achievements. Family planning issues will be prominent. Dialogue will focus on health promotion and protection as a broad theme, within which advocacy, control of infectious diseases, and improvement of management all play a role. The program provides for a possible successor to HSDP in the later years, to allow support for broader policy reform, complementing the investment project assistance; the specific thrust will be developed on the basis of the sector review, but is expected to focus on improving effectiveness of service delivery. 2. Education40. A quarter of the primary school-age population is not enrolled. While the numbers of students continuing to lower secondary education are increasing, enrolment in upper secondary school is static. Tertiary education consumes a high percentage of the education budget, with inadequate results. Non-formal education programs have been constrained by a lack of a clear policy and well-defined institutional roles as well as by insufficient funds and staff. However, over the last few years, there appear to have been positive developments arising from major education reforms designed to restructure the system, extend the period of basic education and relate pre-primary education more closely to local culture and language through expansion of the innovative village local language schools. Lack of skilled staff particularly in technical and vocational fields continues to constrain development. Complementing the efforts of other donors (notably Australia at primary level), the ADB has been providing effective sector support for technical and vocational education, through TA for labor market analysis and for skills policy development, and a loan project in 1999 for skills development for employment. Further assistance for non-formal education is envisaged, especially aimed at the vast majority who have not had access to formal education. 3. Urban Development41. Water supplies and sanitation systems in urban areas are generally inadequate. Port Moresby's system is expensive and inefficient; however the corporatization of the city's system is enabling promising investment and service efficiency improvements, with Japanese Government assistance. The Waterboard, which handles water supply for towns outside Port Moresby, is effective and generally capable, but is hampered by diseconomies of scale; only Port Moresby and Lae have populations large enough to enable marginally profitable operations at presently socially acceptable rates, and Port Moresby has now been separated from the Waterboard. There will be continuing need for financial support. Moreover, growing urbanization throughout the country requires provision of adequate systems to more towns. The ADB ill continue its traditional leading role in water supply. A provincial towns water supply and sanitation project is being prepared with approval programmed for 2000. A rural water supply and sanitation project is envisaged for the later years of the program, focusing on smaller population sites. No other urban development efforts are envisaged. 4. Environment42. Environmental issues and the conservation of PNG's biodiversity are critical. The ADB will maintain its strategic focus by helping address environmental issues arising from maritime exploitation, an area where little external assistance is being proffered (outside assistance is concentrated in Forestry) and which corresponds with other ADB interventions. A loan project is tentatively programmed for 2002 but will require further elaboration of sectoral policy priorities. It is likely that assistance for strengthening the environmental protection institutional framework, with a view to placing it on a largely self-financing basis, will be warranted.
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