UNICEF Women and Child Health Program in Papua (WCHPP)

Background

The Women and Child Health Program in Papua (WCHPP) builds on successive AusAID funded programs including the Safe Motherhood program (1998 - 2003) and the Improving Maternal Health in Eastern Indonesia (IMHEI) project (1 July 2004 - 30 June 2007). The WCHPP constitutes a new three year program and a principle segment of AusAID's strategic plan to work on improving safe motherhood and newborn care in Papua, from 1998 to 2018.

Description

Lessons learned from previous AusAID programs on maternal health have demonstrated that there is a need to focus more attention on sub-district performance by continuing to assist in system strengthening, expanding the continuum of care to include newborns, and intensifying technical assistance to Puskesmas or community clinics. WCHPP also aims to improve accountability within the health care system and between health facilities and communities. WCHPP also supports community leaders and community organisations in demanding quality health care and in promoting positive maternal, neonatal, and child health behaviours.

WHCCP aims to improve the health and nutritional status of women and children to ensure healthier lives for women of reproductive age and children under five in Papua and West Papua and will achieve this by:

1. Developing close relationships with Ministry of Health (MOH) to strengthen (among other things) health financing, social health insurance and health workforce planning and development, through the provision of technical assistance and institutional partnerships to support sector reform;
2. Increasing community awareness and incentive to adopt good health practices;
3. Strengthening the decentralised health systems for improved access to and quality of health services at district and sub-district levels;
4. Strengthening human capacity for health systems management and delivery to provide women's and children health services at district and sub-district levels; and
5. Supporting program management to support sustainable and effective program outcomes.

This page was last updated on 3 October 2007

© Commonwealth of Australia