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By Frank Rai

The Governor General Grand Chief Sir Paulias Matane has applauded the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research for putting PNG on the world map particularly in the field of medical research.

In his keynote address during the official opening of the PNGIMR Colloquium and 40th Anniversary celebration on Monday, Sir Paulias said PNGIMR was a premium medical research institution in the country which was globally recognised for its excellent work.

“There have been many successful research programs conduced at IMR over the last forty years that has led to intervention for control of diseases in the country and the contribution of scientific information to the global knowledge,” Sir Paulias said

He added that success stories of PNGIMR included the pigbel vaccine, prevention and eradication of kuru, mapping of the epidemiology of malaria in PNG, contributing to the national policy on treatment of malaria, usage of treated mosquito net to prevent malaria, treatment and control of filariasis, mapping of sexually transmitted disease including HIV/AIDS and others.

“I am proud to say that IMR has put Papua New Guinea on the world map in the area of science. Work done on kuru at the Institute has won two Noble Prizes (Professor Carlton Gadjusek and Professor Frank Prusnier) and just recently, Professor Michael Alpers has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society,” Sir Paulias added.

He said he trusted that PNGIMR would continue to look very bright in the future and this was very imminent from the threefold increase in the number of research programs been currently conducted with more expected to come in the near future.

The Governor General further added that with an excellent in-house financial and administrative support team and good support from the National Government and international collaborating partners, PNGIMR would embark on many new and interesting scientific researches. PNGIMR celebrates its 40th Anniversary since it was established in 1968.

A colloquium was also hosted by the institute to coincide with the celebration and was attended by prominent medical experts and social scientists from all around the world and included PNGIMR staff from branches in Madang, Wewak, Maprik, Goroka and Okapa.

The official opening ceremony on Monday was attended by Governor Bob Banaya (Western Province), Okapa MP Bonny Oveyara, Health Secretary Dr Clement Malau, PNGIMR Patron Sir Peter Barter, Chairperson of IMR Buttressing Network Prof Fiona Stanley and Chairman of PNGIMR Council Dr Aldolf Saweri.