Couples receive family planning tips in remote areas

MORE than 200 couples in remote regions of Hela, Kutubu and Kikori are taking advantage of family planning services being rolled out.
Oil Search Foundation is funding Marie Stopes PNG to provide training for health workers and operate mobile clinics in collaboration with the Hela, Southern Highlands and Gulf provincial health authorities.
Marie Stopes’ Kero Naphalie said: “It’s a fantastic result, because in my opinion, when families don’t plan their pregnancies ,this adds to the many problems that communities are facing right now. So it’s great that people are starting to do something about it.”
The response of couples in the area has far exceeded the expectations of all the partners with targets exceeded in Kutubu (10 per cent), Kikori (80 per cent) and Hela (over 100 per cent).
Community development officer Marilyn Tabagua said family planning was a taboo subject and rarely spoken about but the roll out programme had educate couples to be aware of their responsibilities.
“We are finding that more and more men and women are seeing the importance of it, and others are more willing to think about it,” Tabagua said.