Marie Stopes continues birth control outreach

By LULU MAGINDE
MARIE Stopes Papua New Guinea (MSPNG) has been providing family planning and sexual reproductive health service to many rural communities in the country.
With its recent reach of over 21,000 people from January 2021 to June 2022 alone, the non-government organisation’s (NGOs) mobile outreach teams (clinics), have served families as well as youths with family planning services, reaching communities by car, boat, plane and even foot patrols to the many rural areas.
MSPNG service delivery director Dr Andrew Kirima said the coverage of mobile clinics had evolved over the years.
Kirima said that currently, due to the funding and community demand, only Central, Western, Morobe, Eastern Highlands and Western Highlands benefited from their services.
“In each province, MSPNG works in collaboration through MOUs (memorandum of understandings) and service agreements,” he said.
“These are signed with the provincial health authorities (PHAs), to train clinical staff who then work alongside MSPNG outreach staff in communities to provide services.
“Focus on health system strengthening through training the PHA staff.
“Providing a sustainable alternative of extending family planning services to the people in the long run.”
With the recent signing of an MOU renewing a partnership with an important funding partner in the Oil Search Foundation, MSPNG is looking to pilot a new project to build the skills of existing health workers and community church health workers.
Kirima said that the misconceptions and beliefs posed the biggest challenge to the continual service provision on the use of family planning methods.