Global Study On Child Poverty And Disparities (PDF) - Social Policy ...

As noted above, access to health care is not evenly distributed, and access to hospitals in particular
is far greater for those living in urban areas. The two referral hospitals are in Port Vila and Luganville.
Vanuatu’s ratio of 2.16 beds per 1,000 population is higher than that of many other PICs.
Table 3.6: Health infrastructure, 2008
Public health facility Number of facilities Number of beds
Tertiary hospitals 2 374
Provincial hospitals 3 443
Specialised hospitals 2 146
Health centres 32 376
Primary health care centres 89 0
Village-based air posts 180 0
Source: ADB 2009b, Table 5.1.
In 2005, Ministry of Health financing accounted for
61 per cent of total financing of health in Vanuatu.
Private households contributing 18 per cent and
donors 16 per cent, and other sources accounting
for the remaining 5 per cent. About one-third of
donor funding (or 5 per cent of total spending)
was channelled through the Ministry of Health
(Vanuatu National Health Accounts Team 2007).
Even though there is a fee for service at
government facilities, the services are highly
subsidized, and Ministry of Health cost recovery
only represents 1-2 per cent of its budget. 14 Figure
3.4 shows the breakdown of private expenditures
on health care.
Figure 3.4: Private health expenditures
Inpatient 1%
Private Dentist 8%
Private Out Patient 36%
Traditional healers 13%
Public Dentist 20%
Pharmaceuticals 22%
Source: Vanuatu National Health Accounts Team 2005, 2007.
Given the large challenges in health service
provision, donor funding is likely to remain
very important. The Government receives a
considerable amount of assistance from outside
aid agencies, totalling 955.5 million vatu in 2007,
of which about 63 per cent went directly to the
six provinces. Australian aid has supported the
Ministry’s Master Health Services Plan priorities,
and also provided support for hospital and village
14 Cost recovery does not revert back to Ministry of Health; income is returned to Ministry
of Finance (Vanuatu National Health Accounts Team 2005, 2007).
health services focusing on women and children.
The Plan’s Village Health Worker Program
increased the coverage of rural health care in
two provinces, and is expected to help achieve
the MDGs on infant and maternal mortality. The
2008–2011 funding commits $1.5 million from
AusAID to enhance rural health and training. In
2008 the Ministry of Health contracted Save the
Children to carry out this programme. UNICEF
and the Ministry of Health also fund a number
of programs to reduce childhood deaths due
to preventable diseases, as well as HIV/AIDS
prevention (ADB 2009a, p. 92).
Child protection
Child protection in Vanuatu is addressed in
a number of recent policy documents by the
Government of Vanuatu and through partnerships
with NGOs. 15 The National Children’s Policy
2001–2011 includes legislative reform to expand
protection of children’s rights. The recent Vanuatu
Child Protection Baseline Research 2008 National
Report (UNICEF, 2009) provides a benchmark
on Vanuatu’s standing in terms of respect for
children’s rights and human rights in general. The
project included three components – development
of a legislative and regulatory framework,
institutional stocktaking and identifying indicators
of societal behaviour.
National laws, policies and
programmes
The main legislation on child protection is the
Family Protection Act 2008, which took effect
in March 2009. The stated purpose of the Act
(Republic of Vanuatu 2008) is to preserve and
promote harmonious family relationships and to
prevent domestic violence at all levels of society.
15 Discussion in this section is primarily based on the Government’s National Children’s
Policy, and its research in partnership with UNICEF. The recent Vanuatu Child Protection
Baseline Report as well as UNICEF reports on legislative compliance with CEDAW (the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) are the
primary sources for analysis.
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