Hospitals embrace family support centres

National, Normal
Source:

By ALISON ANIS

FAMILY Support Centres and Meri Seif houses will be set up in hospitals and other service providers in PNG.
The move was formalised yesterday with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Institute of National Affairs and Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council’s Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (CIMC-FSVAC), Unicef, and Digicel Foundation at the Port Moresby General Hospital family support centre
“The signing of the agreement allows for a public-private partnership between groups involved in effectively addressing the needs for women and children who are victims of family and sexual violence,” FSVAC chairman Dr Lawrence Kalinoe said.
Dr Kalinoe said he was happy with the level of commitment from Unicef and Digicel Foundation in realising the plight of women and children through the provision of support funding for infrastructure for the centres.
He also thanked Health secretary Dr Clement Malau on the current support by his department by including family support centre in the health budget for this year.
“The kind of support from both the public and the private sector gives us new hope to think of rolling out 17 new centres in other hospitals,” Dr Kalinoe said.
FSVAC and its partners have set up five support centres and negotiated and signed MoU for support centres to be included within 17 hospitals, provincial and sub-health centres.