Papua New Guinea's rapidly growing population is placing increasing pressure on the country's health system, with more women experiencing unplanned pregnancies and hospitals struggling to cope with rising demand.
Speaking during a World Population Day panel discussion with Marie Stopes PNG at the University of Papua New Guinea's Waigani Campus, Dr Glen Mola, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Head of Reproductive Health at the University of Papua New Guinea School of Medicine, said Port Moresby General Hospital has seen the number of women seeking maternity care more than triple over the past five decades.
"Last year alone, more than 17,000 women came to our labour ward for safe, supervised births.”
"When I began my medical training in the 1970s, we were seeing only about 5,000 to 6,000 women a year. The demand has continued to grow, placing enormous pressure on the health system."
Dr. Mola, said while births temporarily stabilized after the introduction of post-delivery family planning services through a partnership with Marie Stopes PNG, numbers have increased again over the past five years due to continued population growth and migration into the capital.
He said many pregnancies remain unplanned, particularly among young people.
According to Dr. Mola, around 10 per cent of women giving birth at Port Moresby General Hospital are teenagers who are still attending school, while between 30 and 40 per cent of pregnancies among women in their twenties are also unplanned.
Research conducted at the hospital found that approximately half of the women attending one of its reproductive health clinics reported their pregnancy was unplanned.
Dr. Mola said Papua New Guinea must begin changing its traditional thinking about family size, noting that large families, once important for farming, community labour and survival, are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain in modern society.
"The cost of raising and educating children today is much higher than it was in the past.”
He estimated that educating one child from primary school through university can cost families between K100,000 and K200,000.
"Parents need to understand the commitment they make when they have children. Every child deserves proper education, healthcare and opportunities to succeed."
Dr. Mola also warned that the increasing population is stretching hospitals beyond capacity, with pregnant women sometimes forced to sleep on floors while waiting for beds because maternity wards are full.
"The health service is not coping.”
Beyond the financial burden, he said inadequate family planning contributes to wider social challenges, including school dropouts, youth unemployment, gender-based violence and child neglect.
Additionally, Dr. Mola said healthcare workers regularly treat survivors of sexual violence, including very young children, describing such cases as some of the grimmest aspects of his work.
Family planning should not be viewed as limiting families, but as ensuring every child is wanted, healthy and given the best chance to succeed.
