Simbu PHA launches training to combat child malnutrition
Simbu Provincial Health Authority, in partnership with the Child Nutrition and Social Protection Project team, has launched a five-day training on Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition in Kundiawa today.
The training, which runs from October 12th to 16th, aims to equip health workers with critical clinical skills to address severe childhood malnutrition in the province.
The initiative builds on the ongoing CNSP pilot project in Kundiawa-Gembogl District. This is a multi-agency national program funded by the Government of Papua New Guinea through a World Bank loan. It is jointly managed by the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Department of Justice and Attorney General, Department for Community Development and Religion, and the National Department of Health.
Simbu is the pilot province for the Highlands region, along with Western Province, West New Britain and Madang.
Speaking at the opening, Provincial Early Essential Newborn Care and Nutrition Coordinator, Gabriel Kuglsuna, said while ground interventions have identified vulnerable children, clinical staff must be prepared to manage referred cases.
Kuglsuna said the CNSP project targets children under five and pregnant mothers, covering the critical first one-thousand days from pregnancy to two years of age, and extending to children up to fifty-nine months.
He said 102 Village Health Assistants have been deployed across 51 wards in Kundiawa-Gembogl's four Local Level Governments – Mitnande, Nilkande, Waiye and Kundiawa Urban – since late 2024.
The VHAs are stationed in their catchment communities to educate mothers and conduct growth monitoring using infant meters, stadiometer boards, weighing scales and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference tapes.
When Moderate or Severe Acute Malnutrition is detected, children are immediately referred to health facilities for treatment.
Meanwhile, Simbu PHA Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Kassi Ken, commended frontline health workers for transforming health outcomes and setting a benchmark for primary health care delivery in Papua New Guinea.
Dr. Ken said Simbu is shifting from passive facility visits to proactive door-to-door community outreach, combining nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding and routine immunization.
He said this approach has delivered significant improvements – with childhood immunization coverage in target areas increasing from 25 to 30 percent to 62 percent, and childhood malnutrition trending down towards the target threshold of 4.5 to 5 percent.
Dr. Ken added that investing in primary health interventions reduces the burden on tertiary hospitals and high-cost medical care.
The CNSP model is supported through partnerships with the Department for Community Development and Religion, Local Level Governments, village leaders, faith-based health services, UNICEF and the World Bank.
With evidence-based results gaining national attention, Simbu's health workers are now positioned to serve as national trainers to replicate the model across the country.