Midwifery

Everyday People - Clinton Danny Saupere

Clinton is an awardee of the Australia Awards PNG Scholarship and a native of Hauna Village in East Sepik Province’s Ambunti-Dreikikier district.

Through the scholarship program, Clinton graduated with a Bachelor of Midwifery from the University of Goroka in 2022. He is now working as an educator at Tinsley Community Health Worker Training School in Mt Hagen.

“Because the school was in severe need of a midwife to teach obstetrics and gynaecology and didn’t have one, I took this as an opportunity to replicate the knowledge and skills that I have,” he says.

Delma Stanley Bata - You Never Know

“Do it with heart and diligence,” says Delma Stanley Bata, a midwife and Australia Awards alumna.

When Delma was a child, she loved watching closely how health workers treated patients and saved lives whenever she went to a health facility with her family. This inspired her to become a nurse and then a midwife.

It was more than twenty years ago when Delma began her education journey at Wairiki Village’s primary school in the Gazelle Peninsula in East New Britain Province. The determination to achieve her dream drove her to work hard and succeed throughout her studies.

Investing In Midwifery In PNG

This is part of its mission to ensure every child delivery is safe and zero preventable maternal deaths in the country.

UNFPA has 615 midwifery kits prepositioned and to be delivered to the 22 Provincial Health

Authorities in the country. 

Procurement and provision of the 615 Midwifery Kits costs USD$105,000 (PGK 370, 121), an approximate of PGK 602 for one kit.

Touching a woman’s life

“You’re blessed to witness the first moment of a life,” said Melisha Gilmo.

Gilmo had interests and passion to be a specialist midwife since childhood.

She is driven to save women’s lives, because her mother nearly died giving birth to her fifth sibling.

After graduating from nursing college, Gilmo was posted to a very remote health centre in East New Britain Province. Medical supplies were very difficult to come by due to the geographical location.

Invaluable lessons for midwives

But she got more out of the experience than she expected.

“I helped deliver a baby girl and she was named after me!” Jennifer recalls. “We delivered the baby without any complications. It was a clean delivery.”

Monipa, an Australia Awards scholar who recently completed study in 2020 at the University of Goroka (UOG), visited Middle Fly district in 2019 on a midwifery practicum with YWAM Medical Ships.

New facility for midwifery student opened in ENB

The package included a double dormitory that would house 32 students, a self-contained kitchen and dining room that would cater 100 students, a library that can hold 40 students, three staff accommodation (two single and one duplex with three bedrooms each).

This was a joint venture project assisted between the Australian Government through its Aus AID program and Papua New Guinea through the National Department of Health.