A third of all health facilities down in PNG's quake-hit region

A third of all health facilities in Papua New Guinea's quake-hit Highlands region have closed as a result of last month's disaster.

That is according to the World Health Organization which has been assessing the quake's impact on health services in the region with PNG's Department of Health.

The magnitude 7.5 quake killed at least 125 people, while around 270-thousand people are estimated to be in urgent need of aid.

According to the WHO, 25 out of 77 health facilities in the two worst-affected provinces, Hela and Southern Highlands, have been knocked out.

The total number of closed facilities is likely to be higher, as data from eight health centres remains unavailable due to blocked access.

The WHO's PNG representative, Dr Luo Dapeng, told Johnny Blades that the disruption to already strained health services comes at a time when people are most in need of care.