A group of young female Community Health Workers recently completed a midwifery skills training in Goroka Eastern Highlands, as part of a 6-month in-service program to upskill groups of CHWs in Maternity Skills at the provincial level.
The graduation was attended by SEM, Church Health Secretary, District Health Officers and OICs, relatives and media team.
Many of the trainees from the church health facilities were very privileged to receive the training because they were not professional midwives, yet they are the front line health workers attending to normal and complicated deliveries.
The concept of up-skilling Community Health Workers was developed through the Ministry of Health and NDOH sponsored Human Resource forum in 2008.
Lack of midwives and nurses with midwifery skills was identified as one of the main issues and difficulties with regards to improving maternity health outcomes in PNG.
In 2009 the Minister for Health set up a task force to map out ways in which maternity outcomes could improve.
With the Chief Obstetrician, Dr Ligo Augerea taking the lead as the chairperson and Professor Glen Mola, Head of Reproductive Health, School of Medicine and Health Sciences was the deputy, a team of tutors from existing CHW Training Schools and technical officers from NDOH came together in consultation and drafted a training program and curriculum for a 6-month in-service program.
The pilot project which took place in Mt Hagen from April to October 2012 came out very successful in which 7 CHWs were trained.
Since then several Provincial Hospitals participated in the up-skilling program, including Jiwaka, Enga, Kundiawa, Vunapope, Kavieng and AROB. All together up-skilled 106 CHWs from the pilot project up to 2016.
Eastern Highlands, Oro and West Sepik came on board in 2017 with the first training being completed in 2018 in Goroka with the funding assistance from UNICEF.
The second up-skilling program for Eastern Highlands was proudly sponsored by Mola Foundation and UNICEF.
The first training included a CHW each from all the health centres who are engaged with maternity care. The second batch of CHWs were from the health sub-centres and Community Health Post, with two each from Kainantu Rural Hospital, Onamuga, Yasubi, Yauna, Obura, Kassam and Sigere.
The CHWs are selected by the District Health Officers from recommendations by each health facility but the training is stagnant at moment due to lack of funding.
Future training for Easter Highlands will depend on further funding allocations. Keys trainers are selected from the hospital and urban clinics where practical are concerned.
The components and contents of the training program include: Module 1 Part1 ANTENATAL CARE, Part 2 COMPLICATIONS IN PREGNANCY. Module 2: Part1 is Physiological Changes during labour including care and observations, Part 2 is delivery, Part 3 is Obstetric Complications, Part 4 is Postpartum care of Mother and baby, Part 5 is Newborn complications and Module 3: Family Planning.
Place like Nupuru Health Sub-Centre is doing really well because of the first up-skilled CHWs.
Health Centers have HEOs and midwives or nurses thus those up-skilled do not put their best foot out in the performance. Asaro Health Centre and KRH CHWs can easily discuss obstetric cases with the trainers in Goroka and referrals are done on a timely manner.
Dr. Freda Wemin- Consultant OBGYN EHPHA said if the program is given prominence in terms of funding by the provincial government for such program for five years then we might improve in the statistics.
She said currently funding is the hindrance to improving maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.