Three clinicians from Papua New Guinea (PNG) have completed the first observership of its kind at Cairns Hospital, helping strength emergency and critical care between the two regions.
Dr David Saia and nurses Kila Virobo and Rose Mathias, all from diverse regions across PNG, have spent time immersing themselves in the Intensive Care unit, involved in daily workflows, and sharing insights that enrich the team’s global outlook.
The trio spent two weeks in Cairns participating in a clinical ‘observership’, via the Regional Emergency and Critical Care Systems Strengthening Initiative (RECSI).
RECSI is a collaborative effort led by a consortium of healthcare organisations across PNG, Timor Leste and Australia, committed to improving emergency and critical care in the Pacific region.
Dr Saia, from Simbu Province, said he wanted further his clinical skills.
‘I wanted to sharpen my abilities in ultrasound and get basic echocardiography training,’ he said.
‘I also want to gain a deeper understanding of electronic patient records system.
‘In PNG, like at Port Moresby, it's much more hands-on. Here, everything's digitally stored—it's a game-changer for accessing data.’
Dr Saia said he had also valued multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions and seamless communication tools, observing how they fostered clarity in high-stakes environments like the ICU.
Ms Mathias, from the Central Province, works at in a newly built ICU at her hospital.
She said she faced challenges with staffing, equipment, and facilities, limiting operations to just five beds.
She said she was impressed by evidence-based nursing protocols, structured handovers, and bedside team leadership - innovations she plans to champion back home.
‘The nursing handover process is new; I can help my nurses improve and initiate changes for better patient care,’ she said.
Fellow clinician Ms Virobo, from the Highlands Province, said she was eager to share knowledge gained in Cairns with her colleagues back home.
‘With full resources here, you deliver top-quality care—something we advocate for amid our sustainability issues,’ she said
A second cohort of clinicians from PNG is expected to conduct another observership in Cairns as part of the RECSI initiative next year.
Cairns Hospital ICU nurse unit manager Gillian Tassell said the initiative was an exciting opportunity for staff to engage with nurses and doctors from across the Pacific.
‘While they are here to observe and learn from us, we are also learning from them and gaining an appreciation of how well resourced we are in Australia,’ she said.
‘We are looking forward to the opportunity to welcome another group to Cairns ICU in the future.’