ADB Health Survey
Manila, July 17, 2006 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Asian Development Bank (ASX: ATB) will help the Government of Papua New Guinea conduct a demographic and health survey that will contribute to the provision of better social services, through a grant package totaling US$2.232 million.
The package comprises a $1.320 million grant from the Government of Australia, $662,000 grant from the Government of New Zealand, and $250,000 grant from the Japan Special Fund, financed by the Government of Japan, all to be administered by ADB. The total estimated cost for the project is $3.232 million, with the PNG Government financing about $1 million of this through contributions in kind.
With nearly 80% of the country's population living in remote, rural areas, the effective provision of basic social services is a major challenge for the Government. These services, however, are crucial to improving the quality of life and accelerating the pace of development in the country.
"To effectively plan development strategies, knowledge of demographic change and health status is essential," says Kiyoshi Taniguchi, an ADB Country Programs Specialist/Economist.
"The survey is crucial for monitoring relevant to the Government's Medium-Term Development Strategy and the Millennium Development Goals, and will be fully utilized to monitor various population and health indicators to develop strategies and policies."
The project will build on a demographic and health survey carried out in 1996 to produce data on population size, basic demographic characteristics, the population's reproductive health and related practices, health status, and access to and use of health services.
The project will also monitor knowledge and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS, providing indispensable information for tackling the epidemic.
The Department of National Planning and Monitoring is the executing agency for the project, which is due for completion in January 2008.
Contact
David Kruger
Email: dkruger@adb.org
Tel:+632 632 5204; +63 916 767 3671
Graham Dwyer
Email: gdwyer@adb.org
Tel:+632 632 5253; +632 898 3413; +63 915 741 4363
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