Walking the Kokoda Trek

A team of GP Division staff walked the Kokoda Track in PNG from the 6th July 2008 comprising Debra Goldfinch (CEO MGPN), James Lamerton (CEO West Gippsland GP Division), Marguerite Hall (GP MGPN) and Sue Deed (GP West Gippsland) and Dan Riddle (Psychologist MGPN).

Purpose of the trip:
Complete a broad needs assessment of the primary care health services/ infrastructure along the track to identify opportunites where Victorian GP Divisions could offer support.

Process: To gain an understanding of primary care needs the first step was to walk the track and experience the life and culture from the perspective of the Nationals in the villages and those acting as trek carriers.  From this we could observe and document factors that support and those that might hinder health maintenance and then identify possible projects where GP Divisions in Victoria could make a difference.

Factors identified that may hinder health maintenance:

*Limited access to medical practitioners or nurses
*Poor availability of medicines/basic first aid supplies
*Absence of critical vaccination infrastruture e.g fridges
*Difficulty training-retaining practitioners in remote areas
*Smoking tobacco among men appears to be high
*Little access to condoms and health messages about safe sex
*Sanitation practices-variable
*Environmental management (choko vine)
*Waste management e.g variable levels of waste disposal
*Trek carriers first aid skills understanding low
*PNG government support for health and education low
*Lack of governance of track 

Factors identified that may promote health maintenance:

*Health support from Rotary International  
*Level of physical activity appears very high
*Low levels of obesity
*Most Nationals healthy body weight
*Food is predominantly fresh & grown locally
*Available fruits, veg & nuts 
*Little alcohol/drugs availability
*Air quality very good
*Nationals observed of old age.

Selection of areas where Divisions can make a difference

Two topics have been identified as possible areas for health related projects including:

1. Partnering with existing PNG Health officials, Rotary International and village chiefs to support selected health infrastucture development in Buna. The goal here would be to support vaccinations by installing a solar power fridge in the health clinic at Buna. In addition some other medical supplies and equipment would also be provided.

2. Assess the viability of sending up to 12 GP’s (selected from among the 28 Victorian Divisions) back to New Guinea in March 09 to support training trek leaders in first aid and providing medical services/clinics in selected villages through collaboration with other HMO’s such as Rotary International.