Low Resource Countries

(LRC SIG)

Membership is open to all members of ACNN.

Papua New Guinea:  maternal & newborn training & education

The LRC SIG provides education and training to healthcare workers caring for newborns in low resource countries neighbouring Australia.  Papua New Guinea (PNG), in particular the Eastern Highlands region, has been our biggest partnership to date.  The programme underpinning the education and training is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Helping Babies Survive (HBS) programme which includes: Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB) and Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB).   These are designed specifically for low resource settings and a number of scientific papers have been published from experiences in Africa and Asia.

The LRC SIG commenced training in the Eastern Highland region in Oct 2014 and have so far visited PNG on 13 occasions.  Partnering with the Goroka Provincial Hospital and Touching the Untouchables, LRC SIG members have provided training in Goroka, Henganofi, Kainantu, Fore and Komperi.  A partnership with the Kokoda Track Foundation enabled our team to provide further training in Kokoda, Oro Province and Kupiano, Central Province. We have also undertaken site visits in Madang and Wewak.

South Pacific: Neonatal Education via telehealth 

With the global pandemic putting a dampener on incountry education the LRC SIG, in partnership with Taking Paediatrics Abroad (TPA), has provided education and support to colleagues in Low Resource settings across the South Pacific via ZOOM.  

We presented our first education sessions at the end of 2021 where healthcare workers from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu joined in on discussions of 'Pink, warm, sweet and calm' and 'Positioning'.  Sessions have continued monthly, and the 2024 program is currently underway.

Call out to SIG members!!

LRC SIG members are encouraged to participate in the above-mentioned Education Via Zoom sessions.
This participation can include, presenting a topic of interest or teaming up with one of the committee members to develop an education session. 

If you are interested please email our SIG Secretary Leanne Sheppard at lrcsig@acnn.org.au  

delegations are UNDERWAY for 2024

Planning for our latest in-country training trip is underway  
We have a date: 10-14th June.  
We have a team: Donna Hovey (Qld), Karen New (Qld), Sarah Neale (ACT)                                                                                                             Lyn Chapple (Qld), Jessica Charlston (NSW), Jo La Spina (Qld)
We have a country: Tonga

For further information please contact SIG Secretary Leanne Sheppard at lrcsig@acnn.org.au 

^{Updated 11 March  2024}