The Papua New Guinea Nurses Association (PNGNA) held a nationwide sitting protest on 31 March asking the government to honour the Nurse Award 2025–2027. The agreement was signed in May 2025, but is still not reflected in the 2026 national budget. While the government said that it will pay the outstanding awards for 2025 to 2027, nurses said that they don't want a commitment, rather a clear timeline as to when the payments will be made.

Unions across the region have shown solidarity with them. PSI, representing 30 million workers globally, and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (SA Branch) both issued powerful solidarity statements backing PNGNA’s demands.  

The letters place PNGNA’s struggle within the wider global fight against austerity, chronic understaffing, and the sustained underfunding of health systems. Both organisations called on the Marape Government to urgently provide a clear implementation timeline, confirm budget allocations, and communicate transparently on the phased rollout of the agreement.

"PNGNA calls on the government to immediately provide a clear, dated implementation timeline; confirmation of budget allocation; and transparent rollout of plan for all provisions of the Award. Our protest is a legitimate and peaceful expression of collective concern. We stood by this nation in its most difficult times. It is now time for the government to stand by its commitment to the nurses. Enough delays, enough excuses. Time for implementation is now," said Frederick Goddard Kebai, President, Papua New Guinea Nurses Association.