Wan nes nomo - Place & access to primary care in rural Vanuatu

Abstract

This thesis seeks to examine access to health care in rural Vanuatu. Health1 has long been recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a fundamental human right, yet disparities persist in health status throughout the world today. While there are a number of reasons for this, the (in)accessibility of primary care (PC) services is an important contributing factor. In Vanuatu, access to PC represents a particularly pertinent issue. With a small population of roughly 243,000 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2009) distributed over approximately sixty-five islands, population dispersal alone causes problems for service provision. The situation is exacerbated by poor infrastructure, high transport and communication costs, low per capita income, and rapid population growth (Siméoni 2009). With limited funding and a heavy reliance on international aid, the Vanuatu Ministry of Health faces real challenges in providing an effective, accessible network of PC services (World Health Organisation Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) 2009).