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Budget delays can kill: medicine shortages in PNG health facilities

Nematullah Bizhan and Clement Meta

Published
05 Aug 2026

A budget allocation signals government commitment, but for a nurse or patient waiting for basic medicines, what matters is whether the money arrives in time. New research from Manus shows how late budget releases translate into empty pharmacy shelves.DisclosureThis research was undertaken with the support of the ANU-UPNG Partnership, an initiative of the PNG-Australia Partnership, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed are those of the authors only.About the author/sNematullah BizhanNematullah Bizhan is a senior lecturer at the Development Policy Centre. He lectures in public policy at the University of Papua New Guinea as part of the Centre’s partnership with UPNG. He is a Senior Research Associate with the Global Economic Governance Program of Oxford University.Clement MetaClement Meta is a Financial Controller with Papua New Guinea's Department of Finance. He recently completed a Master of Economics and Public Policy at the University of PNG (jointly delivered by ANU and UPNG) and has more than a decade of experience in public financial management and governance.

A budget allocation signals government commitment, but for a nurse or patient waiting for basic medicines, what matters is whether the money arrives in time. New research from Manus shows how late budget releases translate into empty pharmacy shelves.Disclosure This research was undertaken with the support of the ANU-UPNG Partnership, an initiative of the PNG-Australia Partnership, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed are those of the authors only. About the author/s Nematullah Bizhan Nematullah Bizhan is a senior lecturer at the Development Policy Centre. He lectures in public policy at the University of Papua New Guinea as part of the Centre’s partnership with UPNG. He is a Senior Research Associate with the Global Economic Governance Program of Oxford University. Clement Meta Clement Meta is a Financial Controller with Papua New Guinea's Department of Finance. He recently completed a Master of Economics and Public Policy at the University of PNG (jointly delivered by ANU and UPNG) and has more than a decade of experience in public financial management and governance.

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Indexed from Devpolicy Blog · fetched 06 Aug 2026 · last updated 06 Aug 2026.

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