In Papua New Guinea, FHIR is not yet widely used to exchange healthcare data. Digital health activities are still in their early stages, and the country is just beginning to explore how FHIR can support health data exchange.

The specific FHIR versions in use across the country are not known at this time. There is no clear picture yet of which versions organizations are working with.

Looking ahead, we expect a moderate increase in FHIR adoption in the coming years. The launch of the National Digital Health Strategy is expected to drive this growth.

Rules and Support

Papua New Guinea does not yet have specific regulations for health data exchange. Here's the current situation:

  • Regulations: No formal regulation mandates the use of standards in electronic health data exchange.
  • FHIR requirements: FHIR is not currently mandated by law.
  • Deadlines: No compliance deadlines are in place.
  • Funding: Government funding for digital health is limited. The Department of Health plans to work with development partners to support implementation.

The National Digital Health Strategy highlights the need for interoperability standards. A FHIR-based registry is one focus area for early development.

National Setup

The national framework for health data standards is still being shaped:

  • Standards organization: It is not yet clear which national body is responsible for health data standards.
  • Implementation guides: A national core FHIR implementation guide is not yet available.
  • Terminology services: No national FHIR terminology server is in place.

The country is in the initial stages of building the foundation for national standards development.

Active Use Cases

There are no confirmed FHIR use cases in Papua New Guinea at this time. The country has not yet adopted international FHIR specifications such as the International Patient Summary or IHE profiles.

The hope is that, with the rollout of the National Digital Health Strategy, FHIR standards will be adopted and put to practical use.

Who's Using FHIR

The main drivers for future FHIR adoption in Papua New Guinea include:

  • Improving health outcomes
  • Improving care workflows
  • Improving patient access to data
  • Enabling interoperability between health systems

Specific organizations actively using FHIR are not yet identified, as adoption is still in early planning stages.

Successes and Challenges

Since FHIR adoption is just beginning, there are no documented success stories yet. However, several challenges stand out:

  • Unclear benefits: The value of FHIR is not yet widely understood.
  • Unclear regulations: There is no regulatory framework to guide adoption.
  • Lack of FHIR knowledge: Training and expertise are limited.

Looking ahead, the goal is for FHIR standards to be adopted as part of the national strategy. Training on FHIR is also seen as an important next step.

Future Plans

Here's what progress looks like so far and what's next:

  • Recent milestone: The launch of the National Digital Health Strategy, which recommends using FHIR standards.
  • Next steps: Adoption of FHIR standards across the health system, along with training programs.
  • Three-year outlook: Views are neutral on whether FHIR adoption will deliver significant benefits like cost savings and better care coordination within three years.

Overall satisfaction with the current pace of FHIR adoption is low. There is a clear desire for faster, more structured progress.

Contributors

The contributor to this survey chose to remain anonymous.

The above summary is based on the answers to the State of FHIR Survey 2026, organized by Firely and HL7 International.