Fighting Tuberculosis in PNG: Tackling Drug-Resistant Strains and Healthcare Gaps

Papua New Guinea has one of the highest tuberculosis rates in the Western Pacific, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), with around 30,000 new cases reported annually.

TB remains a leading cause of death, worsened by treatment adherence issues. Studies show 22-27.5% of patients stop treatment prematurely for one reason or another, and it is because of this that stronger forms of TB are developing that are resistant to treatment.

MDR-TB (multidrug-resistant TB) is a dangerous form of tuberculosis that no longer responds to the two most common TB medicines. XDR-TB (extensively drug-resistant TB) is even worse – it resists nearly all effective TB drugs. These super-resistant strains develop when patients don’t take medicines properly (due to lack of access, stigma, or treatment delays) or when people catch already-resistant TB from others in their community.

PNG recorded the first extensively drug-resistant TB case in 2012. It gained global attention after 2014, and since then, cases have been emerging rapidly, driven by treatment gaps and community transmission. 

It was reported that from 2018 to 2022, of the 95 patients diagnosed with MDR TB at the Port Moresby General Hospital, 22% failed to have follow-up treatment immediately or at all.

Many factors contribute to this. First and foremost is the weak healthcare system and infrastructure with limited resources in PNG, a lack of awareness and stigma toward TB patients in communities, and the geographical challenges of reaching remote areas in the country. Many health posts in remote areas are not functional, and therefore patients are unable to access TB medications.

According to a Devpolicy article, a 2024 survey on the implementation of tuberculosis infection and prevention control policies in the Highlands and Momase regions of PNG found that 80% of district hospitals have developed TB infection prevention and control implementation plans; however, no specific budget has been allocated to implement these plans. 

TB remains a critical public health challenge requiring coordinated efforts between government, health authorities, and development partners to implement prevention programs. The key question now is: How can we prioritise measures to effectively roll out prevention and treatment strategies to eliminate TB in PNG?