Breast is best: maternal and child health in Vanuatu.

By Karen Allen, UNICEF Pacific Representative

Karen Allen with two mothers at the Tanna Health Clinic
© UNICEF Pacific/2013/Allen

5:30 am start this morning from Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, for a 6:00 am flight on a 20 seat Harbin Y12 Propeller to Tanna. There is the usual friendly bustle of passengers taping and tying up their luggage bundles, and asking other passengers to carry some of their overweight pieces. A Canadian doctor who rushed over last night with a medical evacuation case begs for a seat to return so she can do her dispensary visits today. We stand by to carry some medical supplies in case she cannot get on, but at the last minutes she does. I love the peace and beauty of flying over the vast expanse of Pacific Ocean, but I reflect on the difficulties of bringing health and social services to such a widely distributed population. Vanuatu is "only" 83 islands; the distance between the two outermost islands is 1300 kilometres.

Kiribati's Baby Friendly hospital making a difference

By Karen Allen, UNICEF Pacific Representative

Tabera 26 breastfeeding her four-month-old son Tekea at home
© UNICEF Pacific/2006/Pirozzi

There are three hospitals in the nation of Kiribati, and the main referral hospital is Tungaro. This is the first of three to achieve certification of being "Baby Friendly" - a set of standards to ensure newborns are well cared for and mothers encouraged to breastfeed. The Antenatal Care Clinic is simple. It is clean and staffed by bright and caring staff. 

Health and Sanitation

UNICEF Pacific acts to make certain that children survive their earliest years and develop all the way to adulthood. UNICEF Pacific plays a key role in purchasing and distributing vaccines for children’s immunisation. The Health and Sanitation programme works in partnership with Ministries of Health, national and international organisations to strengthen health services and to improve water and sanitation facilities, guaranteeing child survival between and during humanitarian crises.