- Posted on 9 Dec 2025
- 1 min 58 sec read
We are thrilled to announce the successful delivery of the Pacific’s first all-nursing Basic Emergency Care (BEC) Provider and Training-of-Trainers (ToT) courses in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea!
Held between August 18-22, 2025, the week-long course was a testament to local ownership of knowledge and practice, delivered by nurses, for nurses, with 18 participants and 6 facilitators from nursing schools across 14 provinces and the National Department of Health.
The BEC course was co-designed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) for first contact emergency care providers in resource-constrained settings, prioritizing safety and structure in caring for acute patients.
As Sr Wilma Sebby, Nurse Unit Manager at ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital and PNG’s first nursing BEC Master Trainer, put it:
“For nurses to teach nurses, it’s a good thing. We’re speaking the same language, and we know that nurses are the frontliners for any healthcare system.”
This sentiment was echoed by Sr Marcia Willie, BEC Course Coordinator and Nurse at the Emergency Department of Port Moresby General Hospital.
“[BEC] training is very important for PNG nurses because it improves our everyday practice as caregivers,” she explained, noting that the systematic approach improves patient care from the pre-hospital setting to facility transfers.
Co-hosted by WHO CCNM UTS, Regional Emergency and Critical Care Systems Strengthening Initiative (RECSI), and the NDOH, and facilitated by National St John Ambulance PNG, the course also highlights the importance and impact of regional collaboration. WHO CCNM UTS and RECSI are both supported by the Australian Government through the Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, demonstrating a commitment to building sustainable health capacities in the region.
The importance of this training was underscored by the strong commitment shown by stakeholders who attended the certificate ceremony. Special guests included high-level representatives from national health bodies and international partners:
- Elvina Yaru, Assistant Program Manager, Australian High Commission
- Ms Mary Kililo, Technical Advisor, Human Resources Training Section at the NDOH
- Dr Desmond Aisi, Chief of Emergency Medicine, PNG
- Sr Thelma Ali, Acting Nursing Council Registrar
- Mr Frederick Kebai, President, PNG Nurses Association
- Sr Romanah Kuaisombi, Incoming Nursing Council Registar
The ceremony also featured an opening address by Dr Garry Nou, EMT Coordinator and Deputy Chief of Emergency Medicine for PNG.
This milestone is one to celebrated, with the number of BEC trained nurses in PNG now at 135 – showcasing the nursing leadership and capabilities of PNG, and further strengthening the nursing workforce in PNG as participants that completed the ToT are now positioned to snowball their skills to their colleagues and peers.
The successful delivery of this all-nursing course marks a powerful step towards building a resilient, locally-led emergency care system, ensuring that the frontlines of PNG's healthcare are expertly prepared to save lives.
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