Impediments To Effective Public Service Delivery To Rural Papua New Guinea And Implications For Alleviation.

This research examined the barriers to effective public service delivery to rural regions of Papua New Guinea. Rural areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG) are faced with enormous challengers of lack of public service delivery. The mass of its population live in the rural areas where services do not reach them or services and facilities are deteriorating significantly. Availability and accessibility of public services is crucial to the survival and development of the rural people. Quality of public service delivery to the marginalized mass rural population is the cornerstone for development in any country. Rural in the context of this research refers to areas located very far from urban areas. Public services in this discussion refers to primary health care, basic education and infrastructure (rural transportation).The main aim of the research was to identify the factors that impede on effective delivery of quality services. Lack of basic services translates in to high mortality, increase in illiteracy rate, law and order problems, high level of influx of people in to urban areas, low economic activity which further leads to a poor living standard and a low Human Development Index. Such ongoing problems have raised concerns from donor agencies, civil society, NGOs and the citizens alike. They are wondering where the real problem is? Is it lack of funding or there is fund available but is spent on other things instead of investing in the priority areas. This gap is getting wider as priority areas are neglected due to lack of fund and ignorance. Core services are not delivered satisfactorily and equitably. Government has always been blamed for unavailability of services in rural areas; however, some rural communities are also to be blamed for lack of services. It seems rural communities are not taking care of the existing facilities, vandalism, tribal fight/conflicts and land compensation demand are a strain to effective services. In order for services to be delivered and sustained there has to be cooperation between the service providers and the locals in a more holistic manner. The institutional capacities are weak and can not manage resources accountably and maintain facilities. The Provincial Government Reform undertaken in 1995, with the introduction of Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government (OLPLLG) has destroyed the public service delivery mechanism in all provinces. The main reason for creating OLPLLG was to strengthen service delivery and deliver effectively to the poor and rural population. The OLPLLG is complicating the delivery process.The survey was carried out using a self administer questionnaire to a sample of 300 in three main centers'of PNG of which 50 were ruled out as invalid. The results showed that almost everyone 98% (145) said that it is not easy to access services in rural areas of PNG. This has contributed to deteriorating health and education in rural areas. The study strongly recommends that the government has to narrow the gap in the disparities of services in rural and urban areas in order to achieve sustainable development. Papua New Guinea can only develop if the rural population is taken care of by meeting their needs for basic public services consistently. When people are happy they will cooperate and mobilize their resources and work in collaboration with their local governments to achieve community development. Service delivery is fundamental as without public services how can the government achieve its other policies or plans on rural development.