Challenge/situation
JID is managing the design, commissioning and construction of the 21,000m2 redevelopment that will provide healthcare to over 182,000 hospital attendees annually.
ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital is the second largest hospital in Papua New Guinea and plays a critical role serving the 675,000 people of Morobe, and as a regional referral hospital for the 1.9 million residents of the Momase Region.
Papua New Guinea has one of the highest rates of tuberculosis in the world, with more than 39,000 cases diagnosed each year, while COVID-19 continues to impact communities worldwide, including PNG. As infectious respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and COVID-19 require similar infection control measures within building design and operational facilities.
Approach/solution
This major redevelopment project is delivering a high-quality regional referral hospital that has been designed with Papua New Guinea’s specific health, environmental and cultural contexts at its core. JID are providing end-to-end services from strategic direction, feasibility studies and procurement through to operational commissioning and facilities management. The ANGAU Memorial Hospital redevelopment incorporates best practice in communicable disease control to reduce the impact of diseases such as Tuberculosis and COVID-19 in PNG.
COVID-19 pivot
JID has demonstrated experience in developing and implementing health-tech to improve service delivery, particularly in a disaster response environment. We delivered a rapid response to the program’s COVID-19 pivot, with teams, including 14 clinical specialists, recruited, mobilized, and deployed for up to 12 weeks from June to September 2021, providing essential management and clinical support to partners and staff, including front-line health workers, while working under the challenging COVID-19 conditions.
Technology at the core
As part of the COVID-19 pivot, JID designed, developed, and implemented the COVID-19 Healthcare E-Learning Platform (CoHELP). CoHELP is a remote learning tool that has been specifically designed by JID to accommodate the need for training on COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea. It is based on an open-source low-cost LMS Moodle system, with content endorsed by the PNG National Department of Health, World Health Organization PNG, and World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office. CoHELP assisted clinicians to change and adapt to the latest clinical practice and new challenges and delivering changing health services in the face of COVID-19.
Effective disease control
In 2020 Burnet Institute of Medical Research and JID conducted an extensive review of the hospital to determine the design’s fit for purpose for effective disease control. The result was the adoption of the FAST approach: Finding TB cases Actively; Separating safely; Treating effectively. Other strategies included positive pressure in staff areas, isolating areas, separated transport routes for suspected cases, and ventilation systems with filters and laminar airflow.
International standard facilities
New and upgraded facilities include acute and non-acute services, including a new Urgent Care Centre, Emergency Department, Imaging Department, Operating Theatres, Intensive Care Unit, Birthing Unit, Pathology, specialist wards, including Special Care Nursery, Pediatrics, Medical/Surgical, and Tuberculosis, and various outpatient clinics, including a specialist Children Department.
Results/outcomes
- There are 303 existing points of care for patients—including outpatient care and consultation clinics—across the hospital; we have already delivered an extra 160, an over 52% increase. We have overdelivered from the SDP planned increase by 90 points of care.
- We delivered a rapid response the program’s COVID-19 pivot, with teams, including 14 clinical specialists, recruited, mobilised and deployed for up to 12 weeks from June to September 2021, providing essential management and clinical support to partners and staff including front line health workers while working under the challenging COVID-19 conditions.
- As part of ongoing review of its services, JID received the highest possible performance rating for a managing contractor against six core criteria including high standard of delivery; value for money through ethical, efficient, economical use of funds; collaborative with effective communication; risk management and policy alignment; demonstrated knowledge and leadership across personnel; and achievement of results, with effective support from Head/Regional office.