CHRISTIAN HEALTH SERVICES

"To serve with love, dedication, compassion and commitment in Humility"

Preventative Health Services

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Our Health Promotion Program

Background

For many years churches in PNG have been central to communities, working with marginalized individuals, women and children or, in conflicts, bringing reconciliation and peace. They have encouraged empowerment and social action at the grassroots level and work towards being the link between national policy and service delivery to communities.

Some CHS agencies have been working quietly in the background on some of the very strategies for Healthy Island outline in the National Health Policy on Health promotion such as;  Community Participation, building relationship with communities, using cultural relevant and communication strategies and utilization of health workers act as health promoters.

Purpose

CHS had observed that implementation of Health Promotion policy had fallen short , more concentration is more on curative services, as a result, individuals, families  and the communities are not been effectively empowered thereby enabling them to control, own and sustain the status of their own health.

Therefore, the health status of our people in the rural communities are still unacceptable as reflected in the high rates of infant and maternal mortality and the rising incidence of communicable diseases.

Urbanisation and the pressures of western lifestyles have given rise to new health problems.  The growth of unplanned settlements surrounding, and in rural no proper village settings with good hygiene behaviour practices, water supply and sanitation which caused Open defecation very high leading to increased water borne diseases etc.

Our people are not informed nor are they made aware of important everyday behaviour and attitude that can greatly improve their health.

The population’s attitude in social services as health matters and other community development initiatives is still overly dependent on government and curative health services

Therefore, the need is to implement National Health Policy on Health promotion effectively  such as;  Community Participation, building relationship with communities, using cultural relevant and communication strategies and utilization of health workers act as health promoters.as  to as address the issues mentioned as to achieve key Result areas 4 – 7. Otherwise outcome will still remain low.

The National Health Plan 2011 – 2020 states that the vision for PNG is to be a healthy and prosperous nation that upholds human rights and our Christian and traditional values. Christian Health Services as an arm of the Christian Churches of PNG inherently and historically has been and will continue to be a leader in promoting this ethics.

Christian Health Promotion plan intersects Key Results Areas 4 – 7, in the National Health Plan 2011 – 2020, specifically at the Key Result Area 7: Promote Healthy Life Styles, objective 7.3 for example, states one of the CHS goals ‘’Increase individuals’ and communities’ involvement in their own health”

The Vision for Health Promotion is stated in the PNG previous 2001 – 2010 National Health Policy on Health promotion is “to empower individual and the communities thereby enabling them to control the status of their own health”. This 2001 – 2010 health promotion plan sought to achieve this vision through the principles of wholistic, comprehensive approach, adoption of the Healthy Island Concept, reducing health inequalities, ownership and sustainability, and evidence based program planning.

Some of the statements made in the policy strategies of the plan were as follows:

  • Community participation will be integral in health promotion
  • All health workers will act as health promoters
  • Adequate resources will be allocated to health promotion
  • Relationship with communities will be built to health promotion
  • Effective communication strategies that reach both rural areas, and are culturally relevant will be implemented.

Current National Health plan 2011 – 2020 also stated in Key Result area 7: Promote Healthy lifestyles with four main objectives with all its strategies. The Objective 7.3 emphasises on Increase individuals’ and communities’ involvement in their own health. Strategies 7.3.1 Increase the roll-out of the Healthy Islands strategy. 7.3.2 Extend the reach of community-based health care, including enhancing village volunteer programs. 7.3.3 Implement strategies that empower the community and the individual to take ownership and direction of their health and the health of their families.

While all are good strategies, the question remains, how have they been implemented? This is a challenge for Health Services Providers. CHS is now taking on the challenge and address it more holistically.

Effective Development Empowering the Nation (EDEN)

CHS has realised that individuals, familiesand the communities are not been effectively empowered thereby enabling them to control, own and sustain the status of their own health. Therefore, CHS had established a Health Promotion Section and rolled out the health promotion program using a wholistic approach since 2014.

Under the Health Promotion Section, CHS is using the EDEN Approach
EDEN means: Effective Development Empowering the Nation.

The four main pillars of EDEN are:
 

  1. Wholistic
  2. Community Ownership
  3. Development
  4. Multiplication

~ The EDEN roll out Strategy ~

~ The EDEN roll out Strategy ~

Mission

EDEN exists to challenge and motivate member organizations to model Christ’s example of active compassion to the whole person through a seamless integration of spiritual growth, disease prevention and sustainable community-owned development.

Vision Statement

To be strategic facilitators of a network of like-minded PNG agencies and health workers who work towards whole and healthy communities living in harmony with God, each other and the environment.

Core Values
  1. Prayer: Strategic prayer is an essential prerequisite for success in any program
  2. Christian Unity: Promotion of unity and cooperation between all denominations of Christian churches.
  3. Dignity: All people have intrinsic value as equally made in the image of God, and therefore deserve opportunity to know Him and to develop with dignity.
  4. Integration: We emphasize Christian Biblical integral development, integrating the physical, social, spiritual and mental components of the person
  5. Sustainable Development: Long-term solutions focus on development rather than relief, disease prevention rather than cure, equipping and empowering people to change themselves rather than doing it for them.
  6. Community Ownership: Programs are owned by the people and built on local initiative, as demonstrated by volunteerism and wise use of local resources.
  7. Multiplication: Training people to train others using concepts and appropriate technologies that are transferable.
Goal

Our primary goal, as representing organizations grounded in Biblical faith, is to facilitate deep-rooted change that fosters compassion, equality and justice in communities and that impacts health and development for generations to come.

Objectives
  • Establish CHS Health promotion department with personals and with member agencies working cooperatively in order to meet the government’s health plan and development goals using the relevant KRA Strategies.
  • Increase interest, ownership and participation in EDEN’s Healthy islands – CHE ‘strategy will result in partnerships between CHS and Health departments at the provincial level.
  •  Standard training and materials will be developed basedmon the concepts of holistic, self – reliance and community ownership.
  • Ongoing training and mentorship and Master Trainers will encourage the delivery of quality integrative community Health and development.
  • Gather statistical evidence from the holistic programs for recognition by National Division of Health, resulting in sustainable funding. The CHS Secretariat strives to uphold its core mission and vision with the objective of serving the people in the health ministry and thus strives to serve with love, dedication, compassion and commitment in humility”
Implementation Strategies

2.1. Established clearly defined steps to engage community, change- mind-sets, and begin with process of community based change.

2.2. Identify and train Health workers and local leaders who will learn to be facilitators of community training that addresses real needs, including the major problem diseases of HIV/Aids, TB and malaria.

2.3. Establish, monitor, and motivate with on-going training, an army of community volunteers to be agents of change in their own communities.

2.4. Build relationship with government, community and faith leaders.

2.5 Address government health and development priorities, such as MDG’s.

2.6. Promote meaningful Three – Ways Partnerships for sustainable community ownership and government leadership; “outside in’ faith base NGO’s.

2.7. Partner with and/ or train other organization in the wholistic strategy

2.8. Establish Monitoring and evaluation tools to collect data for review and measuring performance and impacts

2.9. Participate in Global CHE (Community Health Evangelism) Network.

2.10. Seek to build wholistic understanding of kingdom ministry within PNG Churches