Mine ends health programme

Hidden Valley Mine has completed a four-week village health assistant (VHA) training programme for its 25 participants.
This is part of the company’s commitment to support health and well-being of communities in the region.
Wau Waria administrator John Orebut said the programme was aligned with the Government’s health goals for community development, aimed to empower participants with essential health knowledge and skills.
Orebut said 25 participants were from the landowner communities, mine-impacted areas, neighbouring villages in Bulolo district, Kaindi, and the seven Biangai villages from Wau Waria.
“The training was led by four expert trainers from the Morobe health authority (MHA) and the Bulolo district health,” he said.
He said plans were set to provide additional support to the previous Village Birth Attendants (VBAs) and the newly trained VHAs.
When highlighting the importance of effective Monitoring and Evaluation of Village Health Assistants’ (VHAs) activities in the communities during the closing ceremony, Orebut said the systematic assessment and scrutiny played a critical role in ensuring the success and impact of the VHAs’ efforts.
“There is a need to closely monitor and evaluate the VHAs’ initiatives to gauge their effectiveness, address challenges, and continually improve the quality of healthcare services provided to the community,” he said.
“It reflects a commitment to accountability, transparency, and the overall success of health related programmes within the communities VHAs serve.”
District health manager Logan Yakam expressed his satisfaction about the programme’s outcome.
“We are gratified by the positive outcomes of the programme and look forward to ongoing collaboration with VHA to foster a healthier and resilient community,” Yakam said.
He said that the certified VHAs were now recognised and well-positioned to play a vital role in improving healthcare accessibility within their communities.
Yakam added that the mine’s initiative underscored its dedication to community health, align with national development objectives.
“This programme is the mine’s commitment to empowering VHAs, to ensure they are well-prepared to make a positive impact on community health,” Yakam said.