An Emergency Physician at Hela Provincial Authority, Arabella Koliwan is another up-and-coming Papua New Guinean. She is helping to change the way women are perceived in the medical profession and opening doors for the next generation of PNG women.

Arabella Koliwan. Credit: Godfreeman Kaptigau

BAPNG: You see more than 3000 cases a month. What are the challenges you face in being a medico in a rural area?

Arabella Koliwan (AK): We have many health challenges in Hela, and nationwide, such as patchy primary healthcare coverage, an ageing workforce, run-down facilities and constant difficulties with procuring medications and consumables. But it is a blessing and a privilege to be able to use my knowledge to serve my fellow Papua New Guineans here.

Are you from Hela?

AK: I’m originally from Bogaboga Village, Milne Bay, and I moved to Hela early last year from Port Moresby because I felt strongly about bringing my skill set to a part of the country that is under-resourced.

′Being a woman made it difficult at first to connect with my patients, the community and staff, but what has been most important in overcoming this is being forthright.‘

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How have you settled in?

AK: Another challenge of working in Hela, initially at least, was the cultural barrier. Being a woman made it difficult at first to connect with my patients, the community and staff, but what has been most important in overcoming this is being forthright. Open and honest communication in any culture is valued, and being candid about what I stand for and allowing my work to speak for itself has allowed those around me to get a good measure of me as a person.

How have you become the doctor you are today?

AK: I credit becoming the doctor I am today to my parents, and the doctors who have mentored me throughout my career. People think you go to medical school and graduate knowing how to be a doctor, but I’m not sure that’s true. You certainly get a lot of medical knowledge at medical school, but using that knowledge day to-day to help the sick is a craft, and you learn a lot of it from other doctors while on the job.

This is an excerpt from the article ‘Executive class’, which first published in the October-December 2022 edition of PNG Now, Papua New Guinea’s leading lifestyle magazine. Read the emag here.