Papua New Guinea needs more paediatric cardiac specialists based in regional hospitals to improve access to heart screening and treatment for children, according to East Sepik paediatrician Dr Cecilia Pakule.

Dr Pakule said the country's geography and limited number of specialists made it difficult to provide regular cardiac screening to children living outside major centres.

She said more medical professionals should receive basic training in paediatric cardiac screening, while specialist paediatric cardiologists should be positioned at the country's four regional hospitals.

“We can have a cardiologist in each, and then we can just refer there,” she said.

The call follows a recent cardiac screening program in East Sepik, where about 11 inpatient and outpatient children were assessed over two days.

Dr Pakule said the screening demonstrated the need for stronger specialist services, with some children found to have multiple heart conditions.

She said Papua New Guinea's 22 provinces made it unrealistic for a small number of specialists to provide adequate coverage for all children requiring cardiac assessment.

Many children living in remote areas may never reach provincial hospitals, she said.

“There's patients still in the bushes somewhere, so we need to actively go and look out there for these kinds of patients,” she said.

Dr Pakule also called for provincial cardiac screening programs to be conducted more regularly.

She said East Sepik's previous screening visit had been about two years earlier, meaning some children may have missed opportunities for early diagnosis and treatment.

Regular screening, she said, could help doctors identify children who require surgery before complications such as pulmonary hypertension develop.

Dr Pakule also highlighted the need for reliable access to medicines for children with heart conditions.