Life-saving programme needs funds: Unicef official

FUNDING is needed to expand the saving lives spreading smiles (SLSM) programme to all the districts in Papua New Guinea, an official says.
United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) PNG health specialist Ghanashyam Sethy said a lot of positive outcomes were seen in the communities that implemented the programme.
He said babies were not dying from hypothermia through the Bebi Kol Kilok and women survived from birth complications in rural areas through the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment.
The screening prevention and management of retinopathy of prematurity a leading cause of childhood blindness was the third project of SLSM which he said would be piloted in the districts of the provinces that they worked in.
The provinces are Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Southern Highlands, Hela, Western, Central and East Sepik.
He said these projects were implemented in the districts at the community levels.
He said there were no specialist health workers hence it required the training of village health volunteers.
He added that in the provinces mentioned, 438 health centres would be covered from the selected districts and about 700 village health volunteers were needed but only 250 were trained.
“It costs a lot to train the volunteers,” he said.
He said the volunteers needed mobile phones, uniforms and other items.
He added that the aim was for the programme to reach all the 89 districts in PNG.