Rotary Solar Case
One of the major health care concerns facing women and children/infants in developing nations concerns the incidence of infant and mother mortality. On our doorstep in PNG the risks are very real compared to Australia (Source - https://knoema.com):
According to the World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, PNG has:
How would Australians cope with or accept these numbers?
The aim of the Rotary Solar Case is to ensure that no child is born into darkness and that both the infant and the mother are given every opportunity to live. The Case is focused on use in remote medical/health clinics where there is either no electricity or where it is at best unreliable.
- 2019 - infant mortality rate - 35.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. (Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age.) Australia in 2020 - 2.957 deaths per 1000 live births.
- 2019 - child mortality rate - 44.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. (Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five.) Australia - 3.6 deaths per 1,000 live births
- 2019 - neonatal mortality rate - 21.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. (Neonatal mortality rate is the number of neonates dying before reaching 28 days of age, per 1,000.) Australia - 2.3 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- 2017 - maternal mortality ratio - 145 deaths per 100,000 live births. (Maternal mortality ratio is the number of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth.) Australia - 6 deaths per 100,000.
According to the World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, PNG has:
- .5 nurses and midwives per 1,000 of population, 2018, compared to Australia with 12.8, 2017; and
- .1 doctors per 1,000 of population, 2018, compared to Australia with 3.7, 2017.
How would Australians cope with or accept these numbers?
The aim of the Rotary Solar Case is to ensure that no child is born into darkness and that both the infant and the mother are given every opportunity to live. The Case is focused on use in remote medical/health clinics where there is either no electricity or where it is at best unreliable.
Further inspiration -
Many ask why are we doing this? Well one of my Christmas presents this year was a book titled Heartbreak in the Himalayas by Dr Ray Hodgson see https://a4wh.org and their Facebook page A4WH. This is a very moving, true account of the state of women’s health in Nepal, but equally true of PNG and other developing nations where often they have no light to do their life saving work. At a cost/contribution of $33, it is money well spent to gain this insight.
Dr Ray is also a Rotarian (a member of Port Macquarie Club), and Rotary has raised funds to outfit the Mothers and Babies Hospital he is trying to build in a remote region of Nepal ie all the equipment they will need once the hospital is built. The funds have been sourced in a Rotary Global grant, with help from Rotary districts in Australia, the US, and Iceland. Rotary is very proud to support Ray's work in Nepal and he was awarded the Australian and NZ 'Rotary Humanitarian of the Year' in 2019 at the Rotary Conference in Christchurch. Ray and his team, and the work they do in Nepal, inspires us all. The background and inspiration for the hospital is covered in the book.
If anyone or any Rotarian is unclear why Rotary should focus on women’s health and education in these countries and our near northern neighbours, or why we are developing the Solar Case, they need to read this book and then put themselves or their families in their shoes.
Many ask why are we doing this? Well one of my Christmas presents this year was a book titled Heartbreak in the Himalayas by Dr Ray Hodgson see https://a4wh.org and their Facebook page A4WH. This is a very moving, true account of the state of women’s health in Nepal, but equally true of PNG and other developing nations where often they have no light to do their life saving work. At a cost/contribution of $33, it is money well spent to gain this insight.
Dr Ray is also a Rotarian (a member of Port Macquarie Club), and Rotary has raised funds to outfit the Mothers and Babies Hospital he is trying to build in a remote region of Nepal ie all the equipment they will need once the hospital is built. The funds have been sourced in a Rotary Global grant, with help from Rotary districts in Australia, the US, and Iceland. Rotary is very proud to support Ray's work in Nepal and he was awarded the Australian and NZ 'Rotary Humanitarian of the Year' in 2019 at the Rotary Conference in Christchurch. Ray and his team, and the work they do in Nepal, inspires us all. The background and inspiration for the hospital is covered in the book.
If anyone or any Rotarian is unclear why Rotary should focus on women’s health and education in these countries and our near northern neighbours, or why we are developing the Solar Case, they need to read this book and then put themselves or their families in their shoes.