Keeping communities healthy, whatever it takes
In the midst of a global pandemic where health facilities are stretched, it is easy for COVID-19 to draw the focus of activities, away from other critical elements of primary healthcare. In the remote Kokoda Track region of Papua New Guinea, a group of dedicated Community Health Workers are committed to ensuring their communities stay safe and well from all health risks, including that posed by the virus.
Community Health Workers (CHWs) are the life-blood of the rural health system; they provide primary healthcare in remote areas including life-saving immunisations to babies and children, pre and post-natal care to pregnant women and new mothers, and access to vital medicines and drugs including treatment for malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diarrhoea and pneumonia.
KTF supports a network of 15 health facilities dotted across the catchment area of the historic Kokoda Track, supporting the salaries of health workers and providing critical medical supplies, including COVID-19 hygiene supplies and awareness materials to enable them to continue providing primary healthcare to a population in excess of 40,000.
Hannington Goputa is the CHW at Kinjaki Aid Post on the northern coastline of Oro Province. He is a great believer that "The most important thing is to prevent because prevention is better than cure.” To spread his prevention message, Hannington recently completed a three-week COVID-19 awareness patrol to all 22 villages in his nearby catchment area, covering a population of over 1,500 people.
At his aid post, Hannington has broad range of conditions present for treatment, including malaria and suspected TB cases, childhood infections like diarrhoea, and injury from accidents sustained during garden work and other manual labour. He also conducts pre-natal and post-natal clinics for expectant and new mothers.
To ensure he is providing the best level of care to his community, Hannington updates his skills where possible, recently journeying across the province to attend a two-week family planning training course at Kokoda Memorial Hospital.
With community Health Workers like Hannington committed to providing essential healthcare, not even a pandemic is going to stop them from supporting the health and wellbeing of their communities.
Healthy Communities is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).