Village birth attendants hailed as death rate drops

By ZACHERY PER
village birth attendants (VBA) in Eastern Highlands have saved many  mothers and babies, provincial health authority (PHA) chief executive officer Dr Joseph Apa says.
“The infant-to-maternal mortality rate in the province has dropped because of the efforts of VBAs in the eight districts of Eastern Highlands,” he said.
Apa commended local non-governmental organisation “Touching the Untouchables (TTU)” for providing basic training to VBAs who are helping village mothers and  midwives to deliver babies in inaccessible rural areas.
“I am grateful to VBAs who have worked hard over the years as volunteers to assist the local village mothers in labour for successful deliveries of babies,” Apa said.
“They deserve to be recognised by the government for the wonderful work they are doing in communities that lack health facilities.”
Apa pointed these out when welcoming a team from the Prime Minister’s Department and the National Executive Council social and
governance branch as well as a representative from the Department of National Planning and Monitoring who had travelled to Goroka and visited local areas where VBAs
attended to the mothers in labour and healthy village sites including Saviya in Henganofi  and Ufeto in Goroka.
Roselyn Melua, representing the health sector from the social and governance branch said it was an eye opener to see VBAs and communities  striving to help each other.