Village volunteers vital

 VILLAGE health volunteers play a vital role in assisting health officers out in the communities to ensure services reach the people, says an official.

Madang provincial health advisor Marcus Kachau who officiated at the opening of a two-day workshop attended by 18 existing VHVs from Sumkar and Madang districts said with the improved knowledge and action plans gained from this workshop there would be improved health systems for health services to the rural communities. 

The VHV Programme Assessment and Improvement Matrix workshop was held in Madang on Sept 2 and 3, facilitated in a joint partnership with the National Department of Health and World Vision PNG. 

The workshop piloted the VHV Program Monitoring Framework in Madang and in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB). 

Findings from this workshop would provide a framework and process to enable governments and organisations to survey, assess and improve the functionality of VHV programs. 

The department in partnership with World Vision and Rural Primary Health Services Delivery has updated the VHV Trainer Book, with its major focus on villages, community health and wellbeing. 

“We recognise the importance of VHVs and we are working together in partnership to ensure that existing systems are strengthened at all levels,” Philip Vagi, Health Department VHV coordinator and facilitator. 

World Vision facilitators included senior health advisor, Margy Dowlin and WVPNG MNCH manager, David Raminishvili. 

“We take for granted the importance of keeping good health but so much of what we do every day helps keep us fit,” Dowlin said. 

“As VHVs we are in our communities helping our people make that change for the better, that’s why our work is important.” The workshop included an analysis of the existing situations of VHVs in respective districts, VHV monitoring frameworks, programme functionality matrix and programmatic components for assessment. 

Raminishvili said it was important to contextual tools that would work well for our communities and encouraged continuous collaborations at all levels.