The Healthy Islands Program: Improving health and wellbeing in Papua New Guinea

Background

Papua New Guinea faces a range of complex health challenges. Rates of non-communicable diseases are rising rapidly, while many communities continue to experience barriers to accessing quality healthcare, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Improving health outcomes requires more than stronger health services alone. Factors such as education, workforce capability, food and water security, community wellbeing, and effective partnerships all play an important role in determining health.

The Healthy Islands Program was established in recognition of these connections, reflecting the Pacific Healthy Islands vision that healthier communities are built through more than healthcare alone.

By bringing together expertise across sectors, the program supports integrated approaches that strengthen systems, build local capability, and translate evidence into meaningful improvements in health and wellbeing.

Aim

The Healthy Islands Program aims to improve health and wellbeing across PNG and the Pacific by strengthening systems, building capability, and supporting evidence-informed action.

The program seeks to:

• Strengthen health systems and service delivery.
• Build public health and research capability within PNG.
• Support evidence-informed policy and practice.
• Promote collaboration across health, education, community, food, water, and development sectors.
• Translate research into sustainable improvements in population health.

Research Methodology

The Healthy Islands Program is built on the principle that lasting improvements in health are achieved through partnership, local leadership, and long-term investment in capability.

Recognising that sustainable change requires strong local institutions, the program is co-ed by the Institute for Public Health, a PNG-led platform that connects research, education, policy, and implementation while strengthening workforce capability, partnerships, and evidence-informed action.

The program works with communities, health services, governments, and universities to co-design solutions that respond to local priorities and contexts. Activities are designed not only to generate evidence, but also to strengthen the people, systems, and institutions needed to put that evidence into practice. 

By linking research, learning, and implementation, HIP supports practical solutions that can be sustained and scaled over time.

Current status

Strongim Sistem: Health Systems Assessment

Strongim Sistem is working with health system partners across PNG to better understand the readiness of primary healthcare services to prevent and manage non-communicable diseases.

The project is identifying opportunities to strengthen service delivery, workforce capability, nutrition-related care, and the use of digital health technologies to support equitable access to quality healthcare.

Building Integrated Food and Water Systems Capability

Food and water are fundamental determinants of health and wellbeing. This program strengthens PNG’s capacity to generate evidence, develop workforce skills, and support decision-making in food, nutrition, and water systems.

Initial priorities include strengthening teaching and research capability, supporting food composition and food safety work, and improving understanding of water insecurity in communities across PNG.

Sports Pathways to Academic Excellence and Societal Leadership for Women

Sport can be a powerful vehicle for education, leadership, health and wellbeing. This program uses women's football (soccer) to strengthen leadership opportunities and create safe and inclusive pathways for women and girls in PNG.

Current actives include developing a play-and-study model at PNGUoT, strengthening coaching and leadership capability, and supporting safeguarding approaches that encourage greater participation in sport.

Future Initiatives

The Healthy Islands Program is designed to grow over time through new partnerships and programs that respond to emerging health priorities.

By connecting research, education, policy, and implementation, the program provides a foundation for future initiatives that support healthier and more resilient communities across PNG and the Pacific.