President’s December 10 Appeal 2011

Overview

• Educate – rolling out 4 levels of education for birth attendants in Papua New Guinea

• Empower – giving skills and confidence to birth attendants and new mothers

• Enable – improving facilities to ensure the highest attainable standard of maternal care available

Maternal mortality: The Facts

Complications in pregnancy are generally not preventable, but they are treatable.

But without access to skilled birth attendants to recognise problems or facilities with the equipment needed to provide treatment, nearly half a million women die every year – just because they were pregnant.

Maternal Mortality – The Facts

• Every year, approximately 350,000 girls and women die from pregnancy-related causes.

• Almost all of these deaths (99%) occur in the developing world.

• Ten million women are lost in every generation.

• Four million newborn babies die every year, also from causes that are mainly preventable and typically linked to the mother's health.

• Huge disparities exist between rich and poor countries, and between the rich and poor in all countries.

Source: Women Deliver

Maternal Mortality – The Facts

Sepsis, 15%

Haemorrhage, 24%

Obstructed Labour, 8%

Unsafe abortion, 13%

Other, 28%

Eclampsia & Hypertensive

disorders, 12%

Maternal Mortality – The Facts

Cost-effective and proven solutions:1. Access to family planning –

counselling, services, and supplies2. Access to quality care for

pregnancy and childbirth- antenatal care- skilled attendance at birth, including

emergency obstetric and neonatal care- immediate postnatal care for mothers and

newborns

Source: see e.g. Women Deliver, AMDD

Papua New Guinea

• 6.3 million people• Life expectancy at birth (years): 56.7• Median age of total population

(years): 19.5• Human Development Index: 139 out

of 177 – the bottom quartile• Gender inequality index133 out of

177 – also the worst quartile for women

Papua New Guinea

• 62 out of every 1,000 teenage girls is already a mother

• Women have on average almost 4 children – that’s twice the ideal number

• Only 36% of women use ANY form of contraception

Papua New Guinea

• Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 births): 733

• 3 women die each day• More than 1500 each year• Mortality rate of children under 5

years old (per 1,000 live births): 73

Source: PNG DOH Report

Birthing in the Pacific

This project takes international best practice and evidence and applies it to the local situation in PNG – increasing access to both skilled birth attendants and functioning health care services.

Working within the community to affect change – and save lives.

Project Impact

To decrease maternal morbidity and mortality in Papua New Guinea

Measured by:• Maternal mortality rate• Proportion of all births attended by a skilled birth

attendant• Number of facilities meeting international

standards• Midwifery density

Desired Effect

To increase the knowledge and resources for midwives in Papua New Guinea

Measured by:• Number of trained midwives in targeted areas• Case fatalities in targeted areas• Percentage of facilities fulfilling checklist for

providing basic obstetric care• Improvement in the experience of women

delivering in targeted facilities

Outputs

1. Provide education programmes for birth attendants at four levels of skills

2. Ensure that midwives have access to resources to enable them to practice efficiently in their daily clinical care

3. In association with hospital management, audit facilities for emergency obstetric care

4. Support the PNG Midwives Society to ensure that registered midwives have an avenue to be seen as a professional body of nurses.

Outputs

Measured by:• Variety of project

logs• Qualitative studies• Evaluation tools to

assess learning outcomes

• Audit tools for facilities

Activities

• Work with relevant partners to support the roll-out of four levels of educational programmes for birth attendants– PEmOC courses for trained clinicians– Learning exchange programmes for midwives– Maternal health competency programme for

Community Health Workers– Literacy and reproductive health education

for Village Birth Attendants

Activities

• Provide Karim work bilum (kit)to skilled attendants• Provide buckets and goggles to VBAs• Provide SI-branded obstetric wheels• Report on facilities to help them to

meet international standards• Provide support to PNG Midwives

Society