Taking family planning to the Western islands

By JINA AMBA

AT the invitation of Reef and Rainforest and In-loc Rangers Cairns, non-governmental organisation Spacim Pikinini conducted a family planning implant outreach on Paho Island on the PNG side of Torres Strait last November.
According to Wendy Stein, chief executive of Spacim Pikinini, the objectives of the outreach were to up-skill the community rangers by enhancing their medical skills and qualification, and training local health workers in family planning awareness, counselling, insertion of implants and educating them on how to deal with misconceptions regarding the implants.
Rangers were also trained in community engagement skills and trained on how to run community engagement sessions on family planning, conduct needs assessment at village health facilities and provide supplies and equipment as required and available. Rangers and health workers who were assessed as competent were awarded certificates.
Australian Stein travelled from Newcastle via Brisbane and Port Moresby and onwards to Daru where she was met by In-Loc chief executive Dave Rutherford.
From there, they boarded a boat for the long trip to Paho Island.
On arrival at the somewhat deserted island, they proceeded through a cemetery and slowly made their way up a hill to the rangers base called Tent City. The two were shown around the base and met with the paramedic team consisting of Darren Mitchell and community rangers.
Stein said introduction to the base included being made aware of the friendly locals and venomous Papuan Blacks that are common on the island.
After dinner, they wasted no time but conducted the first training session with 15 female rangers where theory and practice was given using their arm.
A few rangers and staff requested implants so were attended to.
Stein said on the first day, the team travelled by boat for four hours to Buzi Health Centre and were met by nursing officer Mapa Sawere.
The rangers had previously conducted family planning awareness so following a community engagement session, many women volunteered to receive an implant.
There were time constraints but all the women received implants and five rangers completed their training. The local health centre was supplied with implants, medicines and other medical equipment and soon, the team was back on the boat and enjoying the four-hour trip back to Paho Island where more training was conducted after dinner.
On the second day, another training session was held before the team headed for a two-hour boat ride to Sigabaduru.
There, more women received implants and four local rangers from the area were trained on how to insert implants.
The group headed to Mabudawan village on the third day where 150 women had registered for family planning implants.
On arrival there, Stein said their team of four work stations had to be increased to six as so many women had flooded in. Stein described the team work as a “well-oiled machine” and by 2pm, around 147 women had presented and received their implant.
She was disappointed that health workers at Sigabaduru and Mabudawan were not present.
Stein said the collective efficacy of the team produced outstanding results in just three days, in three Treaty Villages where 347 implants and 12 community rangers where trained and certified.
A further outreach is to be held at ten other Treaty villages in order to maximise access to implants for women.