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Health Promotion - Healthy Islands Setting
Western Province - Health Communication Training
THEME: ‘THE DISEASE WITHOUT BOARDERS’
Gogodala – Balimo District Health Communication Training Report
Overview
In partnership with the Division of Health Daru, Balimo District Administration and NDOH, Gogodala Health Promotion Communication Training was conducted for the first time in the Balimo district. A group of Senior Health Promoters both from provincial and district levels attended the training for the week. Attending the week training was a important group from Kimama village representative (including their LLG Government Member). The Kimama community had been initiating for their village for healthy village setting and this is where Launching for the Healthy Village Setting was declared by the Middle Fly District Administrator, Mr. Moses Ase on Friday August 22, 2008. This will Kick Start the healthy islands setting approach, in the Middle Fly District and also to other districts.
Introduction
This training is unique in the sense that whole of Western Province District Health Promoters attended the training at Balimo and not only that but for the first time as well; the four strategies (CAP, PHASH, and Healthy Islands & Health Communication Trainings) of promoting community development approach were integrated into this training. This is indeed a new experience for the officers of the National Department of Health. The training was facilitated by NDOH, PHHQ and district facilitators emphasizing that health promotion is the base for motivating in developing healthy behaviors for physical, mental, social and spiritual health through healthy settings as an entry point for any healthy setting development.
Official Opening
The official opening was made by Mr. Moses Ase – District Director of Balimo District. He officially welcome all; participants, PHHQ facilitator – Daru and a special one to the facilitators from NDOH to Balimo District. He emphasized that healthy islands concept is in the right approach that need to be promoted through health promotion programs to reduced diseases and problems in the village not only in Balimo but in the middle Fly, Western Province and PNG as a whole.
Ms. Lucy Morris, Deputy Director - District and Technical Services of PHHQ emphases that priority health concerns of the NDOH can only be achieved only through coordinated and partnership approach and such training like this only motivate such to be achieved and request for full participation and attendance.
The PA – Healthy Islands thanks every participant to come and also thank the PHHQ – Daru to organize the training of Health Promoters and specially thank the Balimo District Administration for allowing such training to be held as this is the first training NDOH experienced where PHHQ and District Administration for co-fund the training. He emphasized that this is first time where four different training programs met at the Balimo HP Training and informed the participants that during this training they need to learn as much as possible as the training may not allow for skills development but taken through the process of health promotion, healthy islands, CAP and PHASH. He emphases that these are strategies of healthy islands approach to promoting health at settings levels as entry point. It is not like in the past but more in a logical and systematic approach to promoting health and assessing the impact of HP activities.
Sessions of Balimo HP Training
Healthy Islands: Healthy islands session was the first of the sessions facilitated by Mrs. Roselyn Melua – HI Project Officer & Acting Research and Communication at NDOH. The followings are the highlights of the presentation; background of HI, definition of HI, Goals of HI, Vision of HI, Approached of HI, Elements of HI, HI as an entry point to promoting health, Setting of HI to promoting health, translating HI into actions e.g. Growth monitoring, CAP etc, partnership for HI and presentation of Pomio Model as an example of what can be done at district levels if HP Officers are committed and motivated to improving the health of the communities.
Also presented during the presentation were the Ottawa Charter, why was HI adopted by SP Countries, the major shift in the Health Care approach and what would be the results HI settings approach in promoting health than other methods. It was emphasized that HP Officers need to understand HI approach and the concept, vision, be partner with NGOs, Churches and others for HI implementation.
Community Action Participation (CAP): The processes of implementing HI through the seven steps were presented and then CAP – six steps was briefly taken through; advocacy, need assessment, prioritizing health issues. Planning together with the communities, implementing and evaluating the activities together with the communities was highlighted as important for sustainability of any initiative taken at the community level.. Re-planning and going through the six steps and or extending to other settings if successful is very important.
There are lot of problems and health issues in the communities that need to be addressed through HI approach. CAP is one of the strategies that NDOH accepted it and felt that it is an excellent strategies and important for PNG. There are also other methods seemed acceptable by various NGOs, Churches and partners and that we need to work with these and partner, share information for the good of the communities.
Participatory Hygiene And Sanitation Transformation (PHAST): Mr. Joel Kolam. Principal Advisor – Protective Health gave a supportive information on community development through strategies such as; CAP, 3AA, SALT, Growth Monitoring, MAI or others. He run through PHAST and present a very motivational and interesting presentation. The summary of his presentation is as follows; Background information of PHAST – introduce into PNG in 1993 from the African experience with late Kagoa Galowa and himself which the NDOH adopted the concept in 1998 and develop the CAP process using the PHAST methods/tools.
The main objective of the PHAST is to improve hygiene and improve health behavior and prevent diseases in the communities.
He also demonstrated the difference between sanitation and health status by presenting a simple adaptable technology that can be easily demonstrated in the communities. It is a very clear example of health promotion, education and skills development. This is about using dazzle bleach to disinfect water by using the ratio of 1:2, it was emphases that if the dazzle is present when one smells is better than absent. It is better to drink than having nothing to drink.
What happens when one is taught in health literacy, skills development? An example;
I have been to a lot of training and coming to meetings over the years but never been able to speak up.
Because I can not read and write I lack confident.
But with this method, I feel confident to speak what I see a drawing of a problem in our community, I say to my self,
I know this problem and I can speak about it.
I used to think it was somebody else problem and wait for others to do something.
Now I didn’t want to wait, I want to start work now.
Health Promotion: Jubal Agale generally took through the sessions, health promotion, education and communication and emphasis that communication glued health promotion and health education together resulting in achieving aims/objectives of health promotion activities.
The definitions, visions, missions, goals and objectives of health promotion, education communication were explained and information given to the participants. This was directed to healthy islands settings approach to promoting healthy population, healthy lifestyles and overcoming priority healthy issues and other diseases and social problems as well.
The five action areas (Ottawa Charter) are the main subject area of implementation under the umbrella of health islands in what ever setting one feel comfortable to start with and initiate healthy settings. Health is every body’s business and all in the community have to be part of the process of addressing the health issues, from identifying health needs to planning, implementation to assessing the impact of the health promotion activities.
The diffusion model was shown and explained in details stating that knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of people have been developed ever the years and also it will take time for the individuals, families and communities to overcome those problems. We as health promoters need to be patient and be a role model as “action speaks louder than words”. There was some discussion on health behaviour change; diffusion model was complemented by French Psychologists, Prochaska & DiClemente, 1984. The popular BC Model which commence from pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance to permanent or relapse.
It was emphasized that we have to be knowledge based in information to providing quality information that is relevant to them and not something from outside and not only that but information must be related to and or based on health needs of the people. These is very important for peoples paying closer attention and use their time and resources necessary to addressing issues in the communities.
Launching of Kimama – A Healthy Village
On Friday, August 22, 2008 Kimama Village in Balimo District of Middle Fly. Western Province was declared by Mr. Moses Ase – District Administrator as a model village to trial healthy village. He publicly announce that if the HV setting initiative do progress positively than he will support similar – settings extension to other village in the district. And may be Balimo can be a pilot to other districts in Western Province.
Some of the highlights of his speech are;
- He officially closed the week training at Balimo HP Training and cut ribbon and declared Kimama village as a Healthy Village Pilot Project.
- Highlights that healthy islands approach is in the right direction through which healthy living and healthy community at the community level will be achieved. This also includes food protection and safe water supply and all these promotes healthy individual, family and community.
- Health is everybody’s business and nothing will change people until people change themselves. It is not government’s problems and community must see it as their problems and take appropriate actions to address them. Every body at all levels; PHHQ, District Administration, DH Balimo and the people of Bimama’s responsibility and we all must hold hand and work together to promoting health.
- A quote from his speech, “ PNG is a one country that provides almost everything in health service delivery at free to subsidized castings. Times are changing and responsibility will be placed on individuals where you will have to look after yourself, even to the circumstances where you will pay for service”
The attachment “A” is the copy of the District Administrator’s speech and attachment “B” is the speech by the Kimama Ward Councilor which outline from current status of village situation to what they thought of doing to declaring Kimama Village as a Healthy Village under the umbrella of healthy islands approach in the future.
Words of Appreciation
It is with great pleasure and joy for me, on behalf the facilitators from NDOH & PHHQ to thank the District Management of Balimo and Motivators & Initiators of Kimama Village for inviting us to come and share the little knowledge we have with the health minded people of Balimo.
The District Administration of Balimo have a vision of community development and if full support is provided as stated, certainly Balimo in the Middle Fly District will be a model for other districts in the Western Province and PNG as a whole.
