P s-ommendations
1.
Maintenance of a health education “office” within the
Public Health
division.
Develop educational materials for use by health workerB
and in the
community at large, e.g. through radio.
Coordinate
workshops
and
demonstration
projects
to
upgrade
the
educational skills of primary health care workers @.g. medex and health
assistants.
Set targets, design plans and monitor changes in knowledpe, attitudes
and practices within the community.
2.
Maternal and Child Health
Maternal and Child Health activities include antenatlal, natal] and
postnatal care, family planning, immunizations, nutritibn education,
~
well child care school health and other health care needsfof the mother
and child.
This group is at particular risk, as shown byfa relatively
high infant mortality rate.
As with other public health services,
usually only Majuro and Ebeye have organized maternal andj
care available.
such
as
child health
And even in these centers certain components of care,
antenatal
and
postnatal
visits,
family
@lanning
and
nutritional advice are poorly utilized.
Most aspects of maternal and child health care can
provided through the primary care network.
There does not]
Bnd should be
seem to be a
major problem in the Marshalls with males providing maternal and child
health services except to their own relatives.
There arb
traditional
birth attendants (TBA's) who relate to the health personne] and assist
in or provide delivery services, but no formal midwifery| training has
been provided.
Family
planning
activities
are
still
difficult}
to
discuss
culturally but it is expected this resistance will gradually change and
family planning will become an important maternal and [child health
component.
Immunization services and school health shoul continue as
important components and will coordinate with the communifable disease
section and Ministry of Education respectively.