Vanuatu is a country in the South Pacific Ocean that is rich in culture and history. The island has a population of about 270312 with a 2.2% growth rate. Life expectancy increased from 61 years to 71 years from 1999 to 2009 (World Bank, 2018). However, even though the country has had impressive results in the fight against various diseases, such as TB and malaria, the state still lags in fighting against other preventable diseases, such as early pregnancies and HIV (World Bank, 2018). A case study conducted at the KPH clinic in Vanuatu indicated that half of the population of people under the age of 20 have the highest number of sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancies. In these studies, people at low-income levels have little access to reproductive health information and contraceptives. This context explores the main issues in the KPH clinic of Vanuatu case studies and options that can be used to solve the problems identified in this case.
Key Issues
The Case study begins by capturing the life of Silvina Molly in Port Vila. Molly Got pregnant at the age of 18 and now struggles to provide for her children in the village. However, there is little known to her, just like other girls in the village, about reproductive health. One of the keys to assessing this case study is the lack of access to healthcare information, especially in reproductive health. Following Sivana’s life story, Silvana states that she had little access to reproductive or sexual health education due to religious and cultural taboos. The largest population in this country is the youth, and lack of access to reproductive health has resulted in teen pregnancies and a high birth rate, which makes the state poverty level even more future. Additionally, the lack of access to the reproduction rate has resulted in high incidents of sexually transmitted infection in this country. The theatre performance conducted by the Aparri urban settlements of Port Vila reflected that people were unable to access reproductive health services as such services were not provided near their communities (Pacifika Communications, 2013).
Another issue in this case is the lack of government resources to address health concerns in this state. The government-owned healthcare facilities struggle with inadequate resources, finances, and infrastructures to provide quality and comprehensive reproductive health services. Pacifika Communications (2013) posits that the government struggles to provide adequate services to all its population. This highlights the gap that private institutions such as the KPH clinic try to fill. Another concern is the lack of government accountability in providing quality and sustainable solutions in delivering essential healthcare services such as sex education to the entire community. Pacifika Communications (2013) States that the current political system focuses on providing immediate support groups that provide short-term solutions to the targeted communities rather than the society at large. Therefore, the existing health concern will still be an issue in Vanuatu even in the future, as it only provides a temporary solution to the problem.
The Most Pressing Issues
Why the High rate of teen pregnancy?
The high rate of teen pregnancy in Vanuatu is a result of a number of reasons: lack of access to contraceptives, poverty, cultural and religious beliefs, and lack of comprehensive sex education.
Why inadequate access to reproductive health?
The cultural and religious taboos make it hard for people to share sex or reproductive health information. Secondly, lack of reproductive health services around the community health centers.
Why a high birth rate?
Women, especially young women, have little or no access to reproductive health information and contraceptives.
Why does the government struggle to ensure access to reproductive health?
Vanuatu government struggles to ensure adequate access to reproductive health information due to inadequate finances and workforce.
Why lack of government accountability?
The current Vanuatu political system focuses on short-term solutions to the problem rather than long-term solutions.
Evidence-based practices
Partnership
Gregoire Nimbtik, the Director of the Department of Strategic Policy, Planning, and Aid Coordination, states that there is a need for partnerships to grow economically and extend services to the people (Pacifika Communications, 2013). Collaboration with private organizations and the local communities can be a strategic approach to extending services to the public. Kennedy et al. (2013) posit that traditional healers can be a significant part of the informal health system in Vanuatu, especially on the remote island. Additionally, the Vanuatu-Australia partnership in health implementations has strengthened service delivery and accelerated Vanuatu’s health toward achieving the MDG (Millenium et al.) (Rutherford, 2018). Therefore, more strategic partnerships between the Vanuatu government and other countries or institutions would help improve healthcare access and delivery on the island.
Advocacy
The traditional rules and taboos have significantly resulted in inequalities, especially in access to education and employment opportunities. Advocacy can be a good strategy for ensuring equality in health care (Nutbeam & Muscat, 2021). Shellard et al. (2021) state that advocacy for cross-sectional engagement beyond health, education, justice, and other key social sectors can help ensure gender equality and women’s empowerment, eliminate violence and discrimination, and enable women to be in full control of their reproductive health. Therefore, cross-sectional advocacy in Vanuatu can help women take birth control and access health care, education, and employment services.
Funding and technical support
Poverty is one of the main issues in Vanuatu. Funding and technical support are approaches used to empower women and solve gender inequality in economic decision-making (Cornish, 2021). Bieri and Sancar (2019) posit that technical support goes beyond empowering women to access income-generating activities to increase their status and decision-making power in their daily activities.
In summary, Vanuatu has a high youth population, but inadequate access to reproductive health information has resulted in high teen pregnancies and a high rate of sexually transmitted infections. Additionally, the country also suffers from poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of government accountability. However, these concerns can be solved through partnerships between the Vanuatu government and private organizations, other countries, and international bodies to increase its financial ability and extend its service offerings. Additionally, funding and technical support can provide women with opportunities to access financial activities and, most importantly, improve their status in society. Finally, sectional advocacy in Vanuatu can help and empower women to access equal opportunities in healthcare, education, and other social sectors.
References
Bieri, S. and Sancar, A., 2019. Power and poverty. Reducing gender inequality by ways of rural employment?
Cornish, H., Walls, H., Ndirangu, R., Ogbureke, N., Bah, O. M., Tom-Kargbo, J. F., … & Ranganathan, M. (2021). Women’s economic empowerment and health-related decision-making in rural Sierra Leone. Culture, health & sexuality, 23(1), 19–36.
Kennedy, E. C., Bulu, S., Harris, J., Humphreys, D., Malvern, J., & Gray, N. J. (2013). “Be kind to young people so they feel at home”: a qualitative study of adolescents and service providers’ perceptions of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in Vanuatu. BMC Health Services Research, 13(1), 1–12.
Nutbeam, D., & Muscat, D. M. (2021). Health Promotion Glossary 2021. Health Promotion International, 36(6), 1578–1598.
Pacifika Communications. (2013). KPH Clinic of Vanuatu [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6pWLqwsTaM&t=2s
Rutherford, L. B. (2018). Facilitating development: An examination of partnerships and intentional development by cruise tourism in Vanuatu: a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master’s of International Development, Massey University (Doctoral dissertation, Massey University).
Shellard, M. L., Rojas, B., Seligman, N., & Betstadt, S. (2021). Assessing Women’s Health Needs in the Underserved Island Communities of Vanuatu. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 25(9), 1369-1375.
World Bank. (2018). Vanuatu HEALTH FINANCING SYSTEM ASSESSMENT. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/393851528813168114/pdf/12-6-2018-17-10-35-VanuatuSpendBetterHealthFinancingSystemAssessmentfinal.pdf
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