Vanuatu is currently working towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. To achieve the targets for the reduction of child mortality, which forms MDG 4, Vanuatu should reduce underfive deaths per 1,000 live births to 13 and increase measles immunisation to 100 per cent by 2015. In light of achieving MDG 4 the Ministry of Health has laid out policy goals to achieve a neonatal mortality rate of less than ten deaths per 1,000 live births.
Aims include increasing overall health of newborns by ensuring access to skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetric care, guaranteeing special care for premature and low-weight infants, and early diagnosis and treatment of newborn health problems.
The Ministry of Health and development partners also aim to ensure that all infants and young children complete a full course of measles immunisation. The major challenge here is ensuring that all children complete the full course of immunisation. Possible factors contributing towards non-completion of vaccination schedules include travel difficulties for children living in remote areas. In 2012, the under-five mortality rate was 18 per 1,000 live births, a slight improvement from 19 the year before. Measles immunisation current stands at 52 per cent (2011). The country needs to continue making progress towards decreasing the under-five mortality rate if it is to achieve its target by 2015. Measles immunisation still has some way to go before it reaches its target.
The global MDG 5 target for maternal health is to reduce the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth by threequarters between 1990 and 2015. When applied to Vanuatu, the maternal mortality ratio should fall to 55 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015. In the period 2007-11 Vanuatu reported 86 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (this figure was estimated at 110 by UN agencies/World Bank in 2010). Part of the goal also stipulates that 100 per cent of births must be attended by a skilled health professional. In the period 2007-12 this figure stood at 74 per cent. Accordingly, Vanuatu needs to make significant progress if it is to achieve MDG 5 by 2015. In the hope of achieving MDG 5, the Ministry of Health has taken steps to identify those women most at risk of maternal mortality, namely very young mothers (less than 15 years of age), older mothers (over 39 years) and those women who have had more than four children.
MDG 6 aims for a reduction in the prevalence of HIV, malaria and other diseases. The number of deaths from malaria fell considerably in the period 2003-11. Although estimated incidence of TB has fallen in the period 1990-2010, the estimated mortality rate (when mortality data excludes cases co-morbid with HIV) has remained roughly the same. Subsequently, significant changes must be made if the country is to achieve MDG 6 by 2015. Achieving increased disease prevention and treatment requires increased research efforts and funding support, as well as increased human resources and general improvements of health services. The Vanuatu Ministry of Health is currently working towards improving health services, monitoring provision and establishing evaluation systems, as well as strengthening human resource capacity in light of this.
