Advancing Child Development in Vanuatu!
Earlier this month, OPHA Board Member, Dr Eta Raicebe was privileged to run the second Child Development trip to Port Vila, Vanuatu along with the Paediatric team at Vila Central Hospital led by Dr Orelly Thyna. There is an ongoing commitment to strengthening child development services in Vanuatu and “leave no child behind”.
Following some work that was already established in 2024, this year’s activities included:
First-ever training for Health Officers from the Vanuatu Society for People with Disabilities
Education sessions for 65 teachers across 3 schools in Port Vila on early childhood development and strategies to support children with neurodevelopmental conditions
Teaching sessions for medical interns and students, building on our 2024 visit
Ongoing clinical teaching through clinics alongside the local Paediatric registrar, refining clinical templates and standardised assessment tools used in Fiji despite local resource limitations
Looking ahead, this work aims to strengthen collaborations with current and new stakeholders, implement early detection of developmental delay/s as core business in Child Health and establish a robust data system to inform and improve ongoing efforts.
Tangkyu tumas to the Paediatric team including Dr Caleb Vangana, a pioneer in Paediatrics in the Pacific, Dr Carole, the lone Paediatric Registrar along with the interns who ensured everyday logistics was smooth, the VSPD team and their health officers for those courageous conversations and planning during the training day, the schools we visited and the child health nurses who quietly went about in the background ensuring the clinic space was available and for generously served us “laplap sorsor”, an exquisite banquet (which would have taken many hours of preparation) of local produce cooked in their special earth oven. It is always humbling to experience the Pacific hospitality!
