Australian High Commissioner Visit PNGIMR Headquaters | PNGIMR getting ready for 40th Anniversary | PNGIMR recieves K35M for research | Professor Siba meets with IRB of UHC MC in USA | Professor Siba meets visits PNGIMR Madang | First EHP HIV/AIDS Stakeholders meeting | 18 graduate as HIV counselors | The Flame of HIV/AIDS-Speech by Gerald Saleu | This quater in Pictures | Grace attends workshop in Melbourne | Mr Tavul attends workshop in Cambodia | PNGIMR celebrates openday with DWU | PNGIMR joins DWU to celebrate open day in picture |Staff graduate from UPNG |Visitors |Staff going Finish |New Staff |Community Service

Click here to download this newsletter in PDF format (240kB)

Australian High Commissioner Visits PNGIMR Headquaters

The Australian High Commissioner His Excellency Chris Moraitis visited the Eastern Highlands province on the 4th of June 2007.

Australian High Commissioner his excellency Chris Moraitis being welcomed to the Institute by PNGIMR Finance Manager Mr Samson Akunaii and senior staff of the Institute.

The main focus of his visit was to meet with key players in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the province.

PNGIMR is a leader in the fight againest HIV/AIDS in the province and in the country. So upon the High Commissioners visit to the Province, he visited Institute’s head quaters in Goroka.

He was warmly welcomed by the senior staff of the institute lead by PNGIMR’s Finance Manager Mr Samson Akunaii.

His excellency Mr Moraitis acknowledged the Institute’s work and said that it was encouraging to see how the Institute had reshaped itself to become the center of excellence for medical research and academic development.

“Expanding the knowledge base through support for research is an objective of the White Paper on Australian aid and AusAID’s health policy,” said Mr Moraitis.

The High Commissioner had time to look at the renovations and extensions that were done at the head quarters with the help of AusAID. The Australian and PNG Governments have again confirmed their support for the Institute with a K35m funding agreement announced in April.

The Australian Government will contribute core funding of K20m through its aid agency AusAID whilst the PNG Government will contribute the remaining K15m over the same period.

Other AusAID supported projects addressing HIV/AIDS in Eastern Highlands, which the High Commissioner visited included a Catholic Diocesan Health Plan for orphans drop in center, Save the Children, Poro Sapot Project; to reduce risk factors amongst female sex workers and men who have sex with other men and Tingim Laip; supporting high risk settings like STI/Voluntary Testing & Counseling referrals and peer education at the Goroka Kakaruk Market.