The direct medical cost of managing traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients in Papua New Guinea has not been well-documented. This study, conducted at Port Moresby General Hospital, determined that the average cost of managing a TBI patient was K81,127.00 (US$20,281.75). Severe head injuries incurred the highest cost per classification, averaging K95,328.03 (US$23,832.01) per patient (s.d. ±255). Notably, 76.6% of cases involved alcohol consumption. To mitigate the economic burden of TBIs, public health interventions and government policies should prioritise regulating alcohol production and consumption and enhancing road traffic safety measures.

The direct medical cost of operatively managing forearm fractures is unknown in Papua New Guinea. This study, conducted at Port Moresby General Hospital, found that the average direct medical cost of treating a patient with a forearm fracture was K22,613.60 (US$5548.12). Alcohol-related violence was associated with 30.2% of all cases managed. The cost of treatment reflects the economic burden forearm fractures have on the health system.

Papua New Guinea, a low- to middle-income country in the Western Pacific, has one of the world’s lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates, with less than 4% of adults vaccinated despite international funding. The country faces a financial crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and the reasons for low vaccine uptake remain unclear. This first COVID-19 research in Papua New Guinea aimed to identify factors influencing vaccination uptake, with findings intended to inform strategies to increase vaccination coverage and achieve herd immunity.

Despite outpatient services providing healthcare to the rural majority, little is currently known about primary care presentations to outpatient services in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This paper provides a description of the types of presentations experienced by health outreach patrols in Western Province, PNG. The information in this study should support health needs analyses to better inform the planning of rural primary care services.

Retained placenta accounted for 35% of maternal deaths at the Alotau Provincial Hospital in Papua New Guinea between 2014 and 2022. This retrospective study analysed 180 cases from 13,731 deliveries over 8 years (2014–2022). The incidence of retained placenta was 1.9%. The mortality rate was 0.6% with most emergencies arising from unsupervised village births, despite the increase in supervised deliveries.