The National Department of Health needs K25 million every year for children’s immunizations. Manager for Population and Family health, Dr Edward Waramin said that GAVI supports the National Department of health each year by purchasing vaccines to be used in immunization campaigns however they stopped in 2022. “GAVI stopped since we have oil and gas and other natural resources, but they will continue to support in other ways.” “From this year onwards, the government of PNG is now required to provide approximately K25M every year.” “Every year hopefully there will be an increment of K1M or more because of inflation and other factors.” He added that the department doesn’t have the capacity to come up with that amount of money in a short time. However, the department works alongside the treasury and finance to get the funding that they need to carry out the immunization campaign. He said that when the department was getting the support from GAVI, they didn’t plan on what would happen after the funding stopped. Dr Waramin said for the government to provide the funding they need to be provided with the necessary calculations and budgeting. He thanked partners such as World Health Organization and UNICEF for their continuous support towards the immunization campaign.

Air Niugini has come on board to support the efforts of YWAM Medical Ships Australia & Papua New Guinea (YWAM MS) Dental Trailer 2023 program by airlifting medical equipment Free of Charge (FOC) out of Brisbane to Port Moresby recently. The airline uplifted 100kg of dental supplies and equipment to support the dental trailer program which is aimed at providing screening, oral health education and dental procedures to students in schools in Port Moresby. Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gary Seddon said that this is not the first time that Air Niugini has supported efforts of YWAM in delivering health care and training in the country. “We have supported YWAM in the past and are pleased to be able to participate again in this particular program that focuses on improving dental health care of younger Papua New Guineans.” The 13-metre-long dental trailer is equipped with dental chairs, sterilisation and x-ray facilities and will go around schools in the nation’s capital to provide dental care and offer health education to students in interactive and engaging sessions. YWAM in partnership with stakeholders have commenced the program at Sevese Morea Primary school and Koki Elementary and Primary schools with Kila Kila Secondary school next in-line, to be followed by other schools in Port Moresby.

New Ireland Province Governor Sir Julius Chan and the New Ireland Province Government has invested K2M to support women, girls, and their families in the province in the space of Financial Inclusion. MAMA BANK has partnered with the NIPG to establish a Mama Bank Agency in the provincial capital Kavieng Town to enable the local people to have easy access to financial services and credit facility to support NIP’s economic plans in empowering entrepreneurship in the province. This initiative was led by the CEO of Mama Bank, Mr. Gunanidhi Das and New Ireland Province Sir Julius Chan. The Mama Bank and New Ireland Provincial Government recognized that women in the province should have proper banking services to save and grow their hard-earned money through access to financial services and credit facility. Women should have their own bank account with affordable and adequate access to credit to enable them to progress their entrepreneurship and contribute towards their family’s welfare and the province’s economic development. During the MOA signing ceremony held at Mama Bank’s Head Office recently, Governor Sir Julius Chan announced that the New Ireland Government is committed to working with Mama Bank to establish the bank’s Agency in Kavieng Town and roll out the MSME Credit Scheme. This scheme will be coordinated jointly by the New Ireland Provincial Government and the Mama Bank project team. Mama Bank will now establish its Agency called the “MAP” in Kavieng Town for the people’s accessibility with the help of New Ireland Provincial Government. As an early Mother’s Day gift for the Women of New Ireland Province, Sir Julius Chan launched three impact policies on Friday, May 5th at the Kavieng Stadium, New Ireland Province. This included the first impact policy which was for the launching of the New Ireland Mama Bank and the New Ireland Credit Guarantee Scheme which will be administered by Mama Bank. The policy, he said will benefit all New Irelanders, especially empowering women and families to do business. The New Ireland Provincial Government in implementing the Malagan Declaration Forward through the partnership with Mama Bank, will guarantee 50% of all loans extended under this scheme and for a start will limit maximum borrowing to K 100,000 to any individuals to enable more small businesses to participate. Sir J said the initiative will enable a self-reliant culture in New Ireland further calling on individuals or families in the province who have a vision to start business to visit the SME Office at the New Ireland Provincial Administration as long as they have the required 10% equity for borrowing. Sir J said that this will create an avenue for his people to adequately have access to credit, to enable them to play a more active role in the economic development and contribution of the province. The New Ireland Provincial Government and Mama Bank are prepared to consider the provision of loan facilities to borrowers through direct and through different available suppliers. These includes farmers and fishermen who are unable to provide security of a type or in an amount which banks would be requiring in the normal course of its operations.

The National Department of Health and partners, UNICEF and World Health Organisation conducted a media briefing today to answer questions and further clarify on the Supplementary Immunization Activities on Measles Rubella, Polio, and Vitamin A. All children between the ages of 6-59 months must get vaccinated during the Supplementary Immunization Activities. The Measles, Rubella and Polio Vaccines are safe, effective and they provide long term immunity from measles, rubella, and polio diseases. Measles is a highly infectious disease that spreads from person to person through sneezing, coughing and close contact. Common signs of the disease are high fever, skin rash, red eyes, cough and runny nose. Rubella is caused by rubella virus that spreads from person to person through the air. Rubella is a mild childhood disease however women who contract rubella in the early stages of their pregnancy can pass the virus to their unborn child which can lead to foetal death and birth defects of the eyes, ears, heart, and brain. While Polio is a dangerous disease that is caused by a virus that enters the body through the mouth from contaminated food or water. Polio spreads very fast in places with poor hygiene and sanitation, open defecation, and overcrowding. WHO Team Coordinator for Vaccine, Preventable Diseases and Immunization, Dr Ananda Amarasinghe said that like any other vaccine, there will be some children who will have adversary side effects. “Sometimes children get high fever or pain in the injection area, but they go away after a few days.” “Those are expected adversary reactions.” “Very rarely, there can be serious adversary reactions, but we are prepared to respond to those serious reactions.” Dr Ananda highlighted that some children may already have an infection, but they don’t show any symptoms and after they get immunized, they get very sick. This is called coincidental reaction and they will investigate to find out what really caused them to get ill. Dr Ananda also said that since they aim to vaccine about 1.2 million children during this campaign, they are ready for children who might have an allergic reaction to the vaccines however it is very rare. National Department of Health Manager for Population and Family health, Dr Edward Waramin said that for children that are sick, they will not be allowed to get immunized. The health workers will treat them for their illness and send them home, once they are better, they can come back to get vaccines. “In order to prevent any misconception, it is better not to vaccinate your child when they are sick.” “The campaign is running for the next 4-5 weeks so we can defer for your child to feel better than come back and get their immunization.” Children living with disabilities are encouraged to come get vaccinated as their immune system is not as strong as the other children. “They need the immune boost that the vaccines will give them.” The immunization campaign was launched on the 1st of May, 2023 for all the 22 provinces with the aim to raise the vaccination rate since the current vaccination rate is at 45%.

Mama Bank completed a week-long celebration of its 9th Anniversary and Mother’s Day with a donation towards Glensville Orphanage. The donation was made on Saturday 13th May at the Assemblies of God PNG Church at Wildlife Erima, Port Moresby in the presence of Glensville Orphanage Founder Ms. Glense, young orphans, disadvantaged children, church leaders, and community members. Also present at the donation were Mama Bank CEO Mr. Das, his family, the management team and staff, who were delighted to support the orphanage in its mission to provide care and support to children in need. The donation is part of Mama Bank's commitment to giving back to the community and supporting worthy causes that make a difference in people's lives. Ms. Glense, who looks after children between the ages of 5 and 20, expressed her gratitude to Mama Bank for the generous support. She highlighted that the donation will go a long way in providing the children with the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, and shelter. She also thanked Mama Bank for the continued support, which has made a significant impact on the orphanage's operations one way or the other. Mama Bank CEO Mr. Das emphasized the bank's commitment to supporting the community and giving back to those in need. He said that the donation is a reflection of the bank's values and dedication to making a positive impact in people's lives and promoting social financial inclusion for all. He applauded Glensville Orphanage for its tireless efforts in caring for disadvantaged children and providing them with a safe and nurturing environment. In conclusion Mama Bank spokesperson Ms. Sindiwan, who is the Marketing/Training Manager, said that the bank is proud to be a part of Glensville Orphanage's journey and looks forward to continuing its partnership with the orphanage in the future. “The bank remains committed to making a positive impact in the community and supporting worthy causes that promote social responsibility and sustainability.”

Air Niugini management have started visiting its provincial ports to communicate the company's initiatives. They started with Lae on Thursday, 11th May, 2023. Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gary Seddon, Technical Advisor-Flight Operations, Captain Granger Narara and General Manager- Aviation Security, Mr Marco McConnell met with Lae sales staff and Nadzab airport operations. The team also had a tour of the new terminal facility at Nadzab. The purpose of the visit is to update staff on the progress and developments at Air Niugini and to hear feedback, concerns and suggestions from staff. The visit is also to ensure that the staff are better informed, equipped, and ready prior to the arrival of additional aircraft before the end of the year. The team will be paying similar visits to other ports in the coming weeks.

Midwifery students from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Kokopo, East New Britain shared their satisfaction and excitement after using new birthing simulators supplied by the United Nations Population Fund Country Office and Laerdal Global Health (Norway) recently. According to the school’s Midwifery Coordinator, Ms. Francesca Bev the simulators have helped her 17 students build not only their competence but also their confidence, as the mannequins allow students hands-on practice before they enter clinical practice. More importantly, students can make mistakes, have these corrected and repeat their correct techniques before they attend to live births. Ms Bevi shared that such practice is essential for women to receive the best quality of care. “It is very important as educators and students to use these simulators when practicing post-postpartum haemorrhage, normal delivery and manual removal of the placenta.” “This helps better our skills to do the right thing and save lives when it comes to the labour ward.” Ms. Bevi further emphasized that a huge gap remains between the number of midwives in the country and the child-bearing population. “PNG needs to train more midwives to upscale the midwifery workforce in both the rural and urban setting.” “Many rural health facilities do not have a midwife and the graduate output of midwives is less than a hundred.” These simulators resemble something of a forward-facing backpack containing material placenta with an umbilical cord and a dummy baby, which can be worn. The inside also features a bladder containing fluid that can be released by the instructors to simulate post-partum bleeding. Fourteen simulators, named Mama Nathalie and Mama Birthie, were distributed to seven nursing schools around the country including the Highlands School of Nursing, St.Mary’s School of Nursing, Pacific Adventist University (PAU), Port Moresby General Hospital, University of Goroka, Lae School of Nursing, and Milne Bay Provincial Health Authority. The Dean of Health Sciences at PAU, Ms. Ellie Korave also expressed her thanks after her school received their simulators. “We value UNFPA’s great support and are so eager to work in partnership with UNFPA to promote maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health to survive, thrive and transform communities and societies.” The United Nations Population Fund continues to invest in midwives to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, and every childbirth is safe. According to Country Representative Ms. Marielle Sander, this is at the heart of UNFPA’s transformative results, especially in Papua New Guinea. “These birthing simulators were given to the Midwifery Society of Papua New Guinea and to these schools so that midwives and students can keep their life-saving skills up to date.” Papua New Guinea is facing an urgent shortage of midwives. In 2023, UNFPA has supported 10 students at the University of Goroka with scholarships to study midwifery and continues to work in partnership with the National Department of Health and the Midwifery Society to invest in addressing this shortage.

The Chairman of the Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Immigrations and Defence, Belden Namah is calling on Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko to explain to the people Papua New Guinea the quotes that are attributed to him on Australian media. Tkatchenko is reported to have told the ABC Pacific Beat that Papua New Guineans who responded furiously to a TikTok video posted by his daughter Savannah were "useless people" and "primitive animals". “I am calling on the Foreign Affairs Minister to confirm or deny that he uttered those descriptions of citizens of Papua New Guinea which has been kind enough to offer him naturalized citizenship.” “If he has indeed uttered those despicable words then I am calling on Justin Tkatchenko to immediately resign as Foreign Affairs Minister and as Member of Parliament and further renounce his citizenship.” “The "useless people" and "primitive animals" of this country have ensured he grew his business, gave him a wife, offered him citizenship, elected him into public office, made him a minister and sent him and his daughter to London.” Namah is also calling on the Prime Minister to sack him immediately. He further called on the Immigration Minister to direct the Chief Migration Officer to immediately call a Citizenship Board Meeting to deal with Justin Tkatchenko. "The TikTok video just reveals the kind of shallow mentality and disregard for Papua New Guineans that the Minister must have inculcated in his family saying that it is unfortunate with the video saying it all: #aussiesinengland."

Sister Wilma Sebby, Nurse Manager of Emergency Department (ED) at the ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital, has spent the last 17 years working at the emergency department. She is motivated by her love for the job and for people. She said that working in the Emergency Department can be very stressful and sometimes challenging but as a team leader, she is there to support her fellow nurses and colleagues. Even on a quiet day at ED, she is in ‘preparation mode’ getting the equipment and items for emergencies ready. “Taking care of patients and seeing them recover makes me feel good and that’s what inspires me to continue serving and to do more to the best of my ability.” “I love my job.” “That is why I continue to do what I do as an emergency nurse and as a team leader in the emergency department.” “Even when I am off duty and resting, my brain is still thinking ‘emergency, emergency.” The desire to continue serving to the best of her ability led her to complete a Bachelor of Clinical Nursing-Critical Care (Emergency Nursing) in 2007 and in 2017 she graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Management & Education from the School of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Papua New Guinea. For the past 3 years, Sister Sebby gained further knowledge and skills from training facilitated by staff from the Australian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) delivered as part of ANGAU Hospital Redevelopment Project. Sister Sebby also used the online Kumul Health Skul training, which consists of 10 modules on contemporary models of care and management. As a nurse manager, she mentors and empowers her colleagues and has encouraged them to upskill and refresh their knowledge on emergency care, procedures, and response. The training has benefited Sister Sebby and her ED team to implement the Interagency Integrated Triage Tool (IITT), a Triage Process -whereby they can now recognise and categorise patients based on the severity of their injuries or illnesses and attend to them within a given timeframe. The ANGAU Hospital Redevelopment is an example of a successful partnership in action. It has created direct and sustainable relationship between technical specialists from Australia and Papua New Guinea. This project is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to redevelop and strengthen healthcare in PNG through the PNG-Australia Partnership. Sister Sebby added that she is grateful to the people and Government of Australia for investing in ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital by not only giving new buildings but also providing trainings and upskilling them with new knowledge and skills to improve health care in Morobe and PNG. Nursing leadership is needed at all levels and across all settings to provide effective and relevant health services for patients and their families, individuals and communities.

Kokoda Track Foundation in partnership with Papua New Guinea Counsellors’ Association recently supported a 10-day upskilling training workshop. This workshop was conducted from Wednesday 12th – Friday 21st of April at KTF’s Kokoda FODE College Located in Kokoda, Northern Oro Province and delivered a Basic Counselling Course to 24 eager participants. Port Moresby based PNGCA's Association facilitators, President Susan Setae and Board Member Momoru Nao, travelled to Oro Province to deliver the first-of-its-kind training for the Province. The training covered various topics including counsellor’s self-awareness and acceptance, what is counselling, ethics and confidentiality, understanding client needs and psychosocial development; and practical tools and methods utilized in counselling. An attendee of the training said that Gender Based Violence and Family and Sexual Violence is always there in the community, but there’s not enough awareness of where/ whom to see in the community. “There should be more counsellors in each community so people can know whom to see when issues arise.” KTF’s Project Zero aims to address Gender-based Violence, Family and Sexual Violence and Child Protection in Oro Province. KTF is proud to have implemented this inaugural training in partnership with PNG Counsellors Association to partners working on the ground in Oro Province and addressing these critical challenges. The attendees of the training workshop came from various local partners from Oro Provincial Government including the Department of Community Development, Provincial Division of Education and the Law and Justice Sector, Popondetta’s Family and Sexual Violence Unit, Saiho Police, Correctional Services, Community Health Workers and Village Health Volunteers from Kokoda, Gorari and Popondetta, Teachers from Kokoda, Gorari and Sorovi, Oro’s Safe House, women’s leaders, Anglican Church Diocese of Popondetta and KTF’s Kokoda FODE College. The training closed with reflections and a round table discussion on ways forward for these newly trained counsellors in Oro Province. The training will have an ongoing effect in the Oro community especially with survivors of GBV, FSV and child harm and aims to strengthen the referral pathways and support for survivors and fosters capacity building and growth with service providers for collective action. One participant expressed their determination moving forward saying GBV and FSV happens almost every day. “The workshop was an eye-opener for me!” “I learnt the skills of a basic counsellor and I will take these skills back to my school and profession and put them into practice.” There is an evident need for counselling training and investment in improving awareness of the challenges around GBV/FSV, as well as supporting survivors in Oro Province. Participants expressed that they are eager for any more training opportunities like this.

Mining Minster Sir Ano Pala and Rigo District Development Authority (DDA) has agreed to invest K2Million to Women’s Micro Bank to support women, girls and their families in Rigo District. Women’s Micro Bank Limited branded as MAMA BANK has partnered with the Rigo DDA to establish and bring financial inclusion services to the people of Rigo and setup a Mama Bank Agency in the district to enable the local’s access to financial services and credit facility to support the district’s economic plans in empowering entrepreneurship in Rigo District. This initiative was led by Mama Bank Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gunanidhi Dasa back in 2022 which has eventually paved the way for Member for Rigo Sir Ano Pala to organize his DDA to set up in Kwikila. Mama Bank and Rigo District Development Authority recognized that women in the District of should have proper banking services to save and grow their hard-earned money through access to financial services and credit facility. They should have their own bank account with affordable and adequate access to credits to enable them progress their entrepreneurship and contribute towards their family’s welfare and district’s economic development. During the MOA signing ceremony held at Kiapara Village in the Central recently, Sir Ano Pala told the women and people of Rigo that he is committed to support them through established arrangements such as financial institution in their entrepreneurial ambitions and not cash handouts. He said that this will create an avenue for his people to adequately have access to credit to enable them to play a more active role in the economic development and contribution of the district. The Chairman of Mama Bank, Mr. Noel Norikgu thanked the MP for having that confidence in Mama Bank to be a bank of choice to support the economic empowerment programs of Rigo district. “We felt obligated to provide the banking services that can economically empower all women, girls and their families.” “We've been placed in a space of greater responsibility as the women’s bank to be the major player for women and girls’ financial inclusion as captured under the National Financial Inclusion Strategy from BPNG.” “And today that is a responsibility we share with your prestige’s office and the Rigo district.” CEO of Mama Bank MrGunanidhi Das stated that the Rigo DDA and Mama Bank are prepared to consider the provision of loan facilities to borrowers through direct and through different available suppliers. This includes farmers who are unable to provide security of a type or in an amount which banks would be requiring in the normal course of its operations. This facility of credit scheme provided DDA will enable Mama Bank to go extra mile in serving the rural farmers in Rigo. Mr Das further explained that the Mama Bank is trying to implement the real microfinance concept in the country. Mama Bank believes that any credit scheme should link to the performance of the income generating activities. If a customer is willing to improve his or her own economy and a bank helps in access to finance, then automatically nation’s economy will develop. SMEs can be created and the Government’s ambition of achieving 500,000 SME by 2030 will be fulfilled if informal and MSME sector is taken care of properly.

Every year, thousands of babies are born in the country but sadly many of these babies die before they reach their fifth birthday. One of the causes is due to diseases that are preventable through immunization which includes measles, polio, whooping cough and tetanus. A national launch was held on Monday in Port Moresby to kick-start the Supplementary Immunization Activity on Measles-Rubella, Polio and Vitamin A by the National Department of Health, UNICEF and World Health Organisation. This is to raise the raise the country’s immunization coverage rate to save lives of children. The objectives of the Measles-Rubella immunization include: • Vaccinating all children aged 6 – 59 months with one dose of MR vaccine, irrespective of their previous vaccination status. A total of 1.2 million children (12.5 per cent of total population) • Vaccinating all children aged 0 to 59 months with one dose of b)PV, irrespective of their previous vaccination status. A total of 1.3 million children (14.5 per cent of total population) • Provide Vitamin A supplementation to all children aged 6 to 59 months • Strengthen Routine Immunization and follow Routine Immunization-focus campaign in selected districts aiming at catching up large number of zero dose children. UNICEF PNG Country Representative, Dr Claudes Kamenga said 80% of the population live in the rural areas and these children need to be reached so they can be immunized like the rest of the children in the urban areas. “Vaccines Work and Vaccines save Lives.” “Despite all the effort by the government and its partners, the coverage is only about 40% which is critically low.” “It is actually estimated that in PNG, We have about 280,000 children who have not received one single dose of vaccine.” Dr Kamenga highlighted that this is a very serious situation meaning that children who haven’t received vaccines or partially vaccinated are at risk of getting preventable diseases. UNICEF recently released a report showing that there was a decline in children vaccination in the last 2 years maybe due to Covid-19 pandemic challenges. That is why UNICEF is supporting this Catch-up vaccination program is important to build build back immunity against preventable diseases. Dr Kamenga further stated that Vaccination is a priority for UNICEF and parents with children born in the past 3 years, during the Covid-19 pandemic or children who missed out on one or more vaccines are vaccinated and kept safe from diseases. He added that UNICEF will work together with World Health Organisation and the National Department of Health to carry out a successful Immunization Program. The Supplementary Immunization Activity (SIA) on Measles-Rubella, Polio and Vitamin A, will be conducted by the National Department of Health will go for five weeks. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Dr Osbourne Liko said that even though immunization services are free at all government-run health facilities throughout the country, many children are still not being brought for immunization which is unacceptable. Dr Liko said SIA is an expensive exercise but it has to be conducted to save the lives of the children who are the future of this country. NDOH is encouraging all parents to to bring their children in for vaccination. The campaign will go for five weeks and will cover all the 22 provinces, including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.