Olivia is a paramedic from St John Ambulance Western Australia working with St John Ambulance Papua New Guinea as a Program Manager and Advisor. Her work focuses on systems strengthening, clinical governance, workforce development, ambulance service capacity building, and sorcery-related research as an MPhil candidate at the University of Newcastle.
Navigating Sorcery Beliefs in Prehospital Care: Developing Ambulance Communication Strategies in Papua New Guinea
Olivia Galinao1
1St John Ambulance PNG
Abstract:
Introduction:
In Papua New Guinea (PNG), beliefs surrounding sorcery and witchcraft remain widespread in healthcare. Sorcery is understood as black magic that can cause sudden illness, death, or misfortune. Within St John Ambulance Papua New Guinea (SJAPNG), anecdotal reports indicate these beliefs influence ambulance response through delay of ambulance activation, discouragement of health-seeking behaviour, and reluctance for ambulance assessment and intervention. In some circumstances, accusations of sorcery can lead to violent retaliations against accused individuals, frequently women in events known as sorcery-accusation related violence (SARV), recognised by the World Health Organisation and United Nations as an urgent issue. Despite this, no healthcare communication strategy currently exists in PNG nor the Pacific to prevent accusations or escalation of SARV. The aim of this project is to develop a culturally responsive communication toolkit to support ambulance clinicians navigating sorcery accusations and violence.