WHO proMIND: profiles on mental health in development: Papua New Guinea

Overview

Mental Health Services have deteriorated over the years due to challenges associated with leadership and governance as well as financial and human resources and district levels. The number of newly trained psychiatrists is insufficient with most graduate doctors being drawn to other specialities.

Although there has been increase in the number of graduate mental health nurses trained in mental health at the Faculty of Nursing at UPNG (with an average number of 10 mental health nurses having completed their qualifications every year), most of the trained nurses are absorbed into the general medical disciplines in provincial hospitals and major health facilities across the country and do not practise full time as mental health nurses.