A submission by Charles Darwin University’s Graduate School for Health Practice (GSHP) is helping to address the desperate situation of maternal mortality in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
In responding to a personally directed call from the Ministry Task Force on Maternal Health in PNG for a submission, a team from the GSHP prepared their report based on experiences in PNG in a range of maternity and community development roles.
The team, led by GSHP Co-Director Professor Lesley Barclay, identified systems issues, cultural and context issues and professional issues in PNG’s maternal health services.
Professor Barclay said the submission highlighted the poor state of PNG’s maternal services.
“PNG is one of the few countries where maternal mortality is out-of-control and still climbing,” Professor Barclay said.
“The paper canvasses a wide range of issues in which we have critically analysed the current situation in PNG and provided recommendations accordingly.”
Professor Barclay said the development of a national maternal death review system was one area requiring urgent action.
“Simple protocols need to be developed for a death review process that will enable doctors, midwives and community health workers to learn lessons from avoidable maternal deaths.”
Professor Barclay said a lack of national quality controls also meant sub-standard midwifery education in PNG.
“These controls are necessary to ensure midwifery students are competent to practise after graduation at the standard required,” she said.
“Maternity services in PNG are well below where they should be, and our submission, alongside those of others, is part of the way forward. It canvases suggestions for models PNG.”