Think: Health

New midwifery workforce in PNG making a difference

Papua New Guinea is a 4 hour plane trip from Sydney, yet when it comes to the difference in maternal and child mortality – it’s worlds apart.

Australia’s infant mortality rate is 3.3 per 1000 births – in PNG, it’s over 60.

Part of this is due to poor access to care for women during pregnancy.

For the last four years, World Health Organisation’s Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development at UTS has tried to improve the education and number of midwifery graduates in PNG.

The initiative has recently wrapped up. Allison Moores was part of the program, and has been looking at how successful it has been. Allison is a midwifery researcher with the WHOCC.

Producer: Ellen Leabeater & Ninah Kopel.

Image: dfataustralianaid