Non-Scalpel Vasectomy Training, Bialla

Non-Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV), a new and improved procedure from the old male vasectomy that may revolutionize family planning in PNG has been initiated in Bialla, Talasea district, West New Britain.

A one week training was conducted at the Bialla health centre involving six health workers from six health posts in the district. The family planning training was conducted by the West New Britain Health Authorities with major support from the United National Population Fund or UNFPA. The training program focused on a simple procedure that does not involve an operation, on the male client. This procedure is deemed to be an alternative of a woman receiving Tubal ligation. One trainee each came from Malalia Health Centre, Lalopo Health Centre, Bialla Heath Centre, Hardy Oil Palm’s Barema health post, Glouster Health Centre, and Bali Health Centre. The trainees underwent two days of theory and three days practical with a handful of clients from the area.

The facilitator of the training and Director of Public Health in the province, Dr. Joseph Nale, said that family health services is one of the standard health programs that’s being neglected under the new health reforms. But he said non scalpel vasectomy method of family planning is a convenient and cheaper method to control the population and it is more long lasting. Nale said it is not about the procedure but it is about engaging the male counterpart in the family planning as culturally man is the decision maker in most cases.

Everyone in the community needs to be engaged, including fathers, mothers, church leaders and village elders in order to help mothers to avoid the burden of tuba ligation.

“The mother has gone through nine months to give birth and now she has to go get a tubal ligation where we cut through the abdomen and we tie the tubes versus doing a non-scalpel vasectomy which is a men’s medical procedure that takes less than 10 minutes and can be done anywhere at any time with one in a thousand fail record.” Dr. Nale said.

Robert Kiri, a Community Health Worker from Malalia health centre said the training was very good and was enjoyable. He hopes to be certified and be a NSV trainer in the province later.

The participants are given a target of 60-100 clients to perform NSV procedure on, within three months after training before they are certified by the UNFPA.

The next training will be done in December with health facilities in the Kandrian Glouster district.

Author: 
Loop Author