Australia, China and PNG Working Together to Tackle Malaria

I am pleased to announce that in a first for the Asia-Pacific region, Australia and China are working together in an on-the-ground health project in Papua New Guinea.

The innovative cooperation project brings together the Governments of Australia, China and Papua New Guinea to tackle Malaria.

This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Development Cooperation between Australia and China in 2013 to enable practical collaboration on development issues in the Asia-Pacific region.

Nearly 95 per cent of the PNG population live in areas of high risk for malaria. This often affects the most vulnerable and represents a major health and economic burden which profoundly impacts on the country's development.

The Australian aid program will contribute $4 million over three years, while China will provide technical expertise as well as an in-kind contribution over three years to fund this ground-breaking project.

The project complements the Australian aid program's focus on strengthening PNG's health systems by improving the capacity of key PNG medical institutions to correctly diagnose and treat malaria.