Increase health budget: Unicef

By ROSELYN ELLISON
THE budget allocation for the health sector in the country and its provinces needs to be increased.
This was the concern raised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) immunisation technical officer Ahmad Farhad Habib, who is in the country to inspect a number of Unicef-funded projects.
Habib, who is currently in East New Britain, said if the health sector was given enough funding or made partnerships to carry out health programmes targeting highrisk health issues or sicknesses, there would be change in the communities, especially remote areas.
Habib said Unicef’s aim of providing development aid to children was still continuing and such programmes created opportunities for immunisation and medical vaccines.
“We want more programmes to be carried out and want to be partners in carrying out these programmes to the vast population so that there is quality delivery of health services,” he said.
“All leaders and health workers should advocate for this programme to be part of their activities and allocate funds for it in the future to house this programme to sustain and continue with it because this was very important as this was a function that would help our mothers and children.”
Habib said the child programme should be part of the national programme to be funded, sustained and continue with it in the future.
He said PNG had one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the region.
Habib said many children were dying before reaching the age of five and many mothers were during child birth because of a lack of adequate basic health services and experienced-qualified health workers to serve them.
“We are providing village health volunteers to minimise these by imparting the basic skills and knowledge so they help mothers in their communities,” he said.