1. Saving lives by improving public health and increasing access to safe water and sanitation.

2. Promoting opportunity for all through access to school, women empowerment and enhancing the lives of people with disabilities.

3. Sustainable economic development through improved food security, employment opportunities and environment.

4. Effective governance of service delivery, security, justice and human rights.

5. Effective Humanitarian and disaster response.

According to the goals listed above, the framework’s allocation of Australia’s aid was based on a comparative country analysis which prioritised countries using 4 key criteria:

1.  Poverty, measured according to the number of people living below the poverty line.

2. National interest to Australia based on proximity, security interest and trade.

3. Australia’s capacity to make a difference, through partner government capacity, aid saturation and fragmentation, and improvements to poverty levels, democracy, justice and security.

4. Current scales of effectiveness based on Australia’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) contributions and its country influence in comparison to other Organisation of Economic and Co-operation Development (OECD) donors.

As a 4 year implementation plan, the framework was used to inform the 2012 - 2013 aid budget and will continue to guide the direction of the aid budget until 2016. An outcome of the country analysis is that the regional distribution of Australia’s aid during 2012-2013 will be spread across the Pacific, South, East and West Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. Although the Pacific remains one of the biggest recipients with an estimated total of 1.2 billion, East Asia will receive the largest ODA with an estimated total of 1.3 billion. Within these 2 regions, Indonesia will receive the largest amount of development assistance with a total of 571 million whilst PNG will receive 491 million. Furthermore given its high levels of poverty, low aid assistance and recent reforms, Burma is also set to receive the largest growth in aid assistance which will increase from $48.8 million to $63.8 million. Additional key recipients include Afghanistan, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, East Timor, Pakistan, Vanuatu and Cambodia.

The outcomes of the framework have shown an important pattern in the future of Australia’s ODA and the direction of its overseas aid program in 2012-2016. With a scale up of funding expected to occur during 2015-2016 Australia’s aid will be distinguished by a variety of factors. One of the main focus areas of the aid budget will be education assistance whilst other areas of support include child vaccination, increased access to safe water and  sanitation, infrastructure improvements and improved law and justice systems. Although the Pacific and Asia (which account for 70% of Australia’s aid), will remain the largest recipient of its aid, funding to Africa will almost double by 2015-2016. Additional budgets allocation during 2012-2016 will show a high increase in aid allocation to Sub-Saharan Africa and a modest increase in aid allocation to the Pacific, South, East and West Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Furthermore during 2012-2013, 30% of aid will be directed to global programs through partnerships with multilateral organizations such as the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund.  An increase in aid to the global program will enable Australia to provide better contributions towards development efforts and reduce aid fragmentation, whilst also increasing their influence within multilateral organisations, and opportunities for NGOs to undertake development work. Australia’s aid budget will continue to secure its stronghold in neighbouring regions through bilateral assistance whilst expanding its reach and influence to multilateral assistance and global development initiatives.

Further details on the aid budget are available at:

Helping the World’s Poor: Australia’s Comprehensive Aid Policy Framework to 2015-16: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/about/Documents/capf.pdf

Australia’s International Development Assistance Program 2012‑13: Helping the World’s Poor: Implementing Effective Aid: http://www.budget.gov.au/2012-13/content/ministerial_statements/ausaid/download/ausaid.pdf

An Effective Aid Program for Australia: Making a real difference-Delivering real results: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/Publications/Documents/AidReviwew-Response/effective-aid-program-for-australia.pdf

The HHISP is designed to support the implementation of two programs in PNG on behalf of AusAID and the Government of PNG: the Health Systems Capacity Development Program (HSCDP) and the HIV Program.

The overarching objectives for both Programs are to improve maternal and child health outcomes and deliver increased health and HIV services to the rural majority and high risk populations. To achieve this, the HHISP will support six key high-level outcomes in maternal and child health; disease prevention; and vaccination and treatment. These six outcomes are:

1. Increase the percentage of 1 year old children nationally vaccinated with 3 doses of pentavalent vaccine;

2. Increase the percentage of deliveries supervised by a trained nurse, midwife or doctor;

3. Increase the availability of essential medical supplies, including drugs and testing equipment for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria;

4. Increase the percentage of condom use by males and females at last high risk sex;

5. Increase the percentage of HIV positive pregnant women who receive antiretroviral drugs to prevent transmission; and

6. Increase the percentage of the population (both men and women) in need of antiretroviral drugs who receive those drugs.

The Program commenced on 1 April 2012 and a formal Program launch is planned for mid-May 2012.

JTA is proud to be supporting this initiative and we are grateful for the ongoing confidence and continued support from AusAID and the Government of PNG.

-
Supporting
AusAID’s initiative to strengthen TB detection and treatment in PNG (Click
here to find out more)

-
Supporting
AusAID’s initiative to supply life-saving cancer medication to hospitals in PNG
(Click
here to find out more)

- Supporting AusAID’s initiative to strengthen TB detection and treatment in PNG (Click here to find out more)

- Supporting AusAID’s initiative to supply life-saving cancer medication to hospitals in PNG (Click here to find out more)

With the support of the Fiji Health Sector Support Program (FHSSP), which is managed by JTA International (JTA), the Ministry swung into immediate action to assess the needs of health facilities and strengthen clinical services in impacted areas of Viti Levu, Fiji’s most populous island.

The FHSSP provided  communication resources and vehicles to support a team from the Environment Health Unit of the Ministry of Health to conduct assessments of health facilities in the western and northern divisions of the country, with the areas around Lautoka, Ba and Rakiraki the primary concerns.

Following the assessments, FHSSP provided fuel for generators to keep health facilities in the Division operating.

To aid the recovery effort FHSSP will support the rebuilding of retaining walls at the Lautoka Dental Clinic and the Loma Nursing Station, the latter of which was built in 2010 with funding from AusAID.

Both these health facilities had become unstable due to landslides from the torrential rain that plagued the Division for two weeks.

In the wake of the floods, the Ministry of Health expressed concerns over the increasing prevalence of communicable diseases.  The FHSSP will support community awareness campaigns through broadcast media to warn people of the dangers of dengue fever, typhoid and leptospirosis. The primetime advertisements will be complemented by DVDs shown at health facilities and messages in the local papers.

The FHSSP’s support was part of a broader response from AusAID which provided $1.14 million to assist the national and international recovery effort.

This included paying school fees and assisting repairs for 17 schools in the most heavily impacted regions, enabling 1500 students to return to school.

AusAID’s support also included more than $500,000 to provide and replenish emergency relief supplies for distribution by the Fiji Red Cross Society, UNICEF and WHO; as well as $100,000 to rehabilitate export crops and improve drainage in farming areas.

]]> http://www.jtai.com.au/latest-news/jta-assisting-response-to-fiji-floods/feed/ http://www.jtai.com.au/latest-news/middle-and-south-fly-health-program-%e2%80%93-feasibility-study/ http://www.jtai.com.au/latest-news/middle-and-south-fly-health-program-%e2%80%93-feasibility-study/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:42:58 +0000 admin http://www.jtai.com.au/?p=1776 Ok Tedi Fly River Development Program CEO, Mr Ian Middleton recently announced that JTA had been appointed to carry out a Feasibility Study for the design of a comprehensive Health Program for the Middle Fly District and South Fly District of Western Province following an open tender procurement process in late 2011.

Health services throughout Middle and South Fly have been deteriorating for some time with the majority of key health indicators below the national average. The feasibility study will address issues such as the quality of health infrastructure, availability of drugs and medical supplies, availability and access to maternal and child health services, availability and training of healthcare workers, increasing TB, HIV and STI prevalence, and poor water and environmental health standards that are leading to these poor health indicators.

The feasibility study will result in the development of a costed implementation plan that identifies the necessary resources and support mechanisms required to strengthen services in line with Provincial and National Health Plans and Standards. Acknowledging the importance of an integrated Plan, a Western Province Health Steering Committee has been formed chaired by the Provincial Deputy Administrator to oversee the development of the Plan.

JTA has an expanding portfolio of private sector health planning activities, with studies currently being undertaken in PNG, Philippines and Mongolia.

JTA looks forward to working with the multiple stakeholders to develop a Plan that will improve the level quality of health services for the people of Western Province.

In 2006 Papua New Guinea (PNG) had the highest maternal mortality rate in the Pacific with 733 deaths per 100,000 births. Some of the support provided by AusAID to improve the rates of maternal mortality, particularly through the AusAID funded and JTA managed Capacity Building Service Centre (CBSC), are highlighted below.

AusAID support to Maternal Health in Papua New Guinea

AusAID has been providing support to the maternal health response in PNG for some time, including: participation in the Ministerial Taskforce on Maternal Health, support for the launch of the Taskforce Report, recruitment of a senior Maternal Health Adviser, and ongoing contributions to operationalisation of the health sector’s maternal health priorities.

During August 2011, this support was further enhanced through the Midwifery Facilitation Program delivered through CBSC.  AusAID has provided AUD2 million to the program, which focuses on improving the quality of midwifery education in PNG.  Part of this support includes the recruitment of eight clinical midwifery facilitators who will work to improve the quality of both classroom and clinical education for midwifery students within four university-based midwifery schools and hospitals over a 2-year period. In addition, two Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialists are also being recruited to support clinical placements and specialist training of medical doctors.

Clinical Midwifery Facilitators

Through CBSC the first phase of support to the Midwifery Facilitation Program has been achieved with the recruitment of eight Clinical Midwifery Facilitators who will bring a diverse range of experience and skills to PNG. Four university-based midwifery schools and three teaching hospitals will benefit from these placements. On 15^th August 2011 the Clinical Midwifery Facilitators officially joined their midwifery colleagues at each of the four universities. The details of the schools participating and the individuals recruited to support improvements to classroom and clinical midwifery education in PNG are provided below:

Ann Yates - University of PNG

Ann Yates has been a registered nurse and midwife for 35 years. She is the current President of the New Zealand College of Midwives and the Chair of New Zealand’s largest Midwifery training school Advisory Board.  Ms. Yates’ has extensive experience in remote rural midwifery and home birthing and worked for 10 years as Director of Midwifery at the National Women’s Hospital, New Zealand’s largest tertiary maternity service.

Alison Moores - University of PNG

Alison Moores is a registered nurse and midwife with specialist qualifications in Public Health. She has worked in health and midwifery-specific training and development for over 20 years. Her most recent roles, as Clinical Midwifery Educator and Clinical Midwifery Consultant, involved utilisation of competency-based training which will be the focus of the support provided to PNG training schools and hospitals. Ms Moores has previously worked in PNG, included as a Tutor at the Community Health Workers’ Training School (1988-1989), a Consultant on Primary Health Care (1992-1993) and a Training Adviser on the Women and Children’s Health Project (2002-2003).

Carolyn Hastie - Pacific Adventist University

Carolyn Hastie is a registered nurse and midwife with 40 years experience and professional qualifications in Reproductive & Sexual Health, Workplace Training & Assessment, Teaching, and Primary Health Care. Ms. Hastie has a Masters of Philosophy (Midwifery Research). Ms Hastie’s achievements include playing a key role in advocating for visiting rights in Australian public hospitals in 1984; starting the first midwives clinic in Australia in 1987; commissioning and managing a standalone midwifery service (2005); and co-writing the acclaimed Bachelor of Midwifery program (commenced 2011) for the University of Newcastle. In recognition of her contribution to midwifery and childbearing women’s wellbeing, she was the recipient of the prestigious New South Wales (NSW) Midwife of the Year award 2007-2008.

Tarryn Sharp - Pacific Adventist University

Tarryn Sharp has been practicing as a registered nurse and midwife for over 15 years.  She has a Post-Graduate Certificate in midwifery and has focused on improving opportunities for women from marginalised communities to access quality maternity care. She has experience working within indigenous communities both as a home-birth midwife and through an Aboriginal Maternity Group Practice.  In 2003 Mrs Sharp completed a placement with Medecins Sans Frontieres as a Midwife and Field Coordinator in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Glenda Gleeson - Lutheran School of Nursing, Madang

Glenda Gleeson has worked as a registered nurse and midwife for over 19 years, most of which has been spent in remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory Australia. Her most recent role with Integrated Maternity Services in Alice Springs, included a focus on capacity development and support for midwives working in remote Australia. Ms Gleeson is also a facilitator for Maternal Emergency and Midwifery Upskilling with the Council Remote Area Nurses Australia, and in 2006-2007, she undertook an international midwifery placement with Medicines San Frontiers in Pakistan.

Lois Berry - Lutheran School of Nursing, Madang

Lois Berry has worked as a registered nurse and midwife for over 20 years, including as an independent midwife attending women birthing at home; as a midwifery unit manager for eight years in a small rural hospital with about 900 births per year; and most recently as a clinical midwife consultant for two rural maternity units on the south coast of New South Wales in Australia. As part of this latter role, she has been responsible for policy and protocol development, staff education, clinical supervision of midwifery and medical students, service development and the implementation of midwife antenatal shared-care models. Ms Berry also worked in Milne Bay Province in training nurses and supporting outreach clinics and immunization programs around the province.

Heather Gulliver - University of Goroka

Heather Gulliver is a reqistered nurse midwife with over thirty years of diverse experience in a variety of predominately low resourced settings in Australia and the Pacific Islands Countries. Her work has involved rural community based private practice; primary health care clinical service development, delivery and evaluation; curriculum development, clinical education and mentorshjp involving all members of the maternity health care team. She recently developed and successfully piloted an intensive up-skilling program (Program Manual and three day practical, clinical skills based workshop) for doctors and midwives working in remote locations in Australia caring for mostly high risk women. In 2010 as the Professional Officer for the Australian College of Midwives she developed an interactive on-line version of a prior publication distributed by the NSW Department of Health supporting midwives returning to practice or requiring up dating on evidence based knowledge and skills. Heather has qualification in Accident and Emergency Nursing, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Masters level Nursing (Women’s Health). Her ongoing involvement in Maternity Service Advisory Committees remains focused on translating system and structural developments into ‘on the ground’ clinical care provision aimed at linking theory with practice to improve outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable women and babies.

Marie Treloar - University of Goroka

Marie Treloar is a registered nurse and midwife with over 20 years clinical and teaching experience, including a Masters in Public Health. For the past 9 years, as well as working in a major tertiary maternity hospital and teaching midwifery in Australian universities,  she has volunteered her time as the president and co-founder of an NGO (The Highlands Foundation) which has been focused on strengthening the health care facilities of the highlands of PNG. Since 2003, the foundation has coordinated a steady flow of Australian doctors, nurses, midwives, medical students, nursing and midwifery students to support this aim, and has enabled the sponsorship of groups of  PNG nurses and midwives to attend Australian and overseas based conferences and activities to develop their skills is health service provision.

Midwifery Coordination Adviser - Professor Pat Brodie

Professor Pat Brodie, who has been chosen to coordinate and oversee the Midwifery Facilitation Program, brings over 35 years experience in midwifery practice, education and regulation to the role.  In 2010, Professor Brodie was engaged by the World Health Organisation as a Midwifery Adviser to PNG, which involved working alongside midwifery educators across PNG’s four midwifery schools to establish and prepare for the implementation of a revised midwifery curriculum.

OTML General Manager Community Business Support and Corporate Relations recently endorsed the 2010 NFHSDP Annual Report.  To access both the 2010 and 2009 report please click on the links below.

North Fly Health Service Development Program 2010 annual report.pdf

North Fly Health Service Development Program 2009 annual report.pdf

The Fiji Times provided the following article on the launch: Health aid for islands

Dr Rosa Sa’aga-Banuve and Dr Jane Thomason

The Review and the Government’s response have prompted a mixed response from the international development community and relevant commentators.  A summary of some different perspectives on the Review can be found on the Development Policy Blog from the Development Policy Centre