New maternity ward opens

 By GABRIEL FITO

EAST Sepik is the only province in the country to have an active village health volunteer (VHV) concept established in all six districts by Save the Children through its women and children health programme.

The East Sepik women and children health programme manager, Johnston Riven said it had 67 structures in the province since Save the Children started operation in Wewak in 1995.

Riven was speaking at the opening of Boikin Catholic aid post maternity ward last Friday, which they funded to help accommodate pregnant women in the Boikin and Hawain areas with deliveries.

“It is a success story for East Sepik because it is the only province in the country that is taking the lead in improving the health of our women and children through our partnership with government and church health services.

“Under the VHV concept, Save the Children train volunteers in every village to be marasin man (medicine man) and marasin meri (medicine woman) to act as aid post orderlies and midwives to help with deliveries and community-based distributors of malaria treatment,” Riven said. 

He urged mothers to end the risky tradition of delivering their babies at home and use the facilities that had been provided to avoid complications.