Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu have established a roadmap for expanded economic cooperation and a historic health care alliance.
This was announced in Port Vila following high-level bilateral talks between Prime Minister James Marape Prime Minister Jotham Napat of Vanuatu.
The talks included the possibility of Papua New Guinea expanding cancer treatment services to Vanuatu patients. The proposal is that patients can undergo initial diagnostic screenings locally and their records will sync digitally with PNG specialists.
The talks also expanded on how the two Melanesian countries can work together to build their aviation, minerals, and resources industries.
Prime Minister Napat proposed that both nations should look at existing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) to progress development in agriculture, trade, and public-private partnerships (PPPs).
To address Vanuatu’s structural barriers in inter-island aviation and local hotel ownership, Prime Minister Marape committed PNG capital and expertise.
The PNG government proposed a joint venture between its Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC), utilizing subsidiaries like airline company PNG Air and Heavy Lift, and Vanuatu’s National Provident Fund to build sustainable local air transport.
Prime Minister Marape also recommended strategic upgrades for Vanuatu’s resource sectors, including:
- Fisheries: Pressuring international partners to invest in local downstream processing rather than raw extraction.
- Maritime Security: Signing “shiprider” agreements with defense partners to protect Vanuatu’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
- Livestock: Implementing aggressive processing protocols to secure regional cattle exports.
The two nations discussed a healthcare partnership integrating patient data networks between their main referral hospitals. PNG will extend its state-of-the-art specialist facilities, specifically targeting cancer treatments, to Vanuatu citizens at subsidized local PNG domestic rates rather than expensive international fees.
These initiatives to form an even closer tie between PNG and Vanuatu were discussed on the margins of Vanuatu’s 46th Independence Anniversary in Port Vila.
