Associate Minister for Health Te-Hani Brown recently attended a meeting in Vanuatu which she said was beneficial for Members of Parliaments from the Pa Enua as it provided exposure to medical equipment suitable for the outer islands.

Brown, the MP for Tengatangi-Areora-Ngatiarua, attended the 8^th Asia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health- Health Workforce early last month in Port Vila. The meeting recommended that outer island MPs attend these workshops with the Minister or Associate Minister of Health to get better insight and exposure of the quality of health care services in these countries compared to the Cook Islands.

Brown said the meeting was initially to be attended by her and the MP for Penrhyn, Sarakura Tapaitau, who missed her flight out of the Cook Islands.

In her travel report to Parliament, she said the meeting was held over three days with a full day of deliberations and group work, site visits to health care centres that service the remote islands and communities of Vanuatu.

Brown reported that they visited Saupia Health Centre which was a 90-minute drive from their accommodation. The health centre, which services the remote islands and areas of Vanuatu, was run by a manager, a midwife, a nurse practitioner and two nurses. There were no doctors.

“Parliamentarians were then taken aboard a re-purposed mini cruise ship named HELPR-1, which serves as a mobile medical vessel that travels on a three-week rotation around Vanuatu’s remote islands. The HELPR1 crew includes doctors, nurses, and crew. It is also equipped with high quality accommodation, storage for medical supplies, a triage/emergency ward and facilities to take emergency patients on board for referral to Port Vila hospital.

“HELPR-1 runs purely on donations as part of Respond Global and works with the government of Vanuatu to provide these services. Parliamentarians were then transported to Lelepa Island after a 2-hour boat ride. Lelepa Island is home to roughly 500 residents, no motor vehicles, and a small health care centre located roughly 1km from shore. Majority of patients at Lelepa Island Health Centre suffer from hypertension.”

Brown said the objective of her visit was to exchange country experiences to champion and support health workforce policy and share innovations in promotion of a well-performing health workforce, whether traditional or non-traditional, including technology, financing models and partnerships.

She added that it was to also build connections between regional parliamentarians and enable partnerships at the global, regional, national and local levels.

Brown’s airfares, accommodation, meals and incidental costs were funded.