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.

Select target paragraph3