The South Santo One area council proudly hosted the graduation ceremony of 17 participants from the Community Leadership Cohort on Thursday 28 November. This significant milestone event was officiated by distinguished guests including Honourable Bridely Livo, President of Sanma Province; Mrs Carol Rovo, Acting Secretary General of Sanma Province; Mrs Sylvie Tapasei, University of South Pacific Senior Officer; Mr Brunton Tari, Public Service Commission Officer; Mr Tony Tataki, Officer in charge of Sanma Provincial Health; Mrs Judith Melsul, Manager of Human Resources, Ministry of Health; Mr Nelson Matavoussi, Area Administrator of South Santo One Area Council; Mr Terry Daniel, Area Administrator of South Santo Two Area Council and Mr Pierre-Paul Irimel, Nurse Practitioner of Tasmalum Health Centre;
Sanma Provincial leaders with graduates of the Community Leadership Cohort in Tasmalum
This marks the third cohort to successfully complete the leadership training program, delivered by the Vanuatu Institute of Public Administration and Management (VIPAM) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Sanma Province, and with the support of the Australian Government. This locally led professional development program equips participants with essential leadership skills needed to drive health sector reforms and enhance the quality and inclusivity of health services across Vanuatu. It also strengthens partnerships among key health stakeholders, encouraging a shared vision and improved methods of collaboration for health service delivery.
The Ministry of Health initiated this program to enhance leadership and accountability among its senior female officers, and due to its success, extended the program to the provincial level in Sanma Province including male officers. Recognising the importance of community-level leadership, the program was also tailored for 17 participants including 12 men and 5 women from the South Santo One area council, home to the Tasmalum Health Centre, which serves as a pilot site for developing a decentralised primary healthcare model. Health leaders of South Santo Two area council also participated in this training.
The Community Leadership Cohort aims to address challenges and remove barriers to effective healthcare delivery by fostering local solutions that are sustainable and community driven.
Mr. Nelson Matavoussi, Area Administrator of South Santo One, expressed his gratitude for the program, stating, “As a government officer responsible for service delivery to the people of my area council, I greatly appreciate this initiative. It provides essential skills to those managing our health facilities and services, including the health committee. It has brought together healthcare professionals and community leaders to better understand our health system and collaboratively explore ways to deliver quality services to our people.”
The Acting Secretary General of Sanma Province also highlighted the program’s positive impact, saying, “It has been an incredible journey to upskill our leaders in Sanma with relevant professional development to drive health reforms and implement key actions to deliver quality health services to our people.”
To date, the Community Leadership Cohort program has equipped 53 leaders at national, provincial, and community levels, with the leadership skills needed to strengthen health systems and improve service delivery across Vanuatu.
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Fern Napwatt, Senior Communications |