Deadline: 14-May-2026
UNICEF is inviting applications to strengthen primary health care systems in Vanuatu to improve essential health service delivery at facility and community levels. The programme focuses on maternal, newborn, and child health, health systems strengthening, data-driven decision-making, and community outreach.
This UNICEF initiative aims to enhance primary health care (PHC) systems in Vanuatu by improving service delivery, coordination, and data use across health facilities and communities. It supports integrated health services across the continuum of care, ensuring that vulnerable populations receive timely and quality healthcare.
The programme promotes collaboration between UNICEF, the Ministry of Health, and civil society organisations to strengthen national and provincial health systems.
Key Focus Areas
The programme focuses on:
- Child health and maternal care
- Newborn and infant health services
- Community health and nutrition programmes
- Health systems strengthening
- Primary health care service delivery
- Health information systems and data use
- Provincial health system coordination
- Community outreach and engagement
Core Objectives
The initiative aims to:
- Improve access to essential primary health care services
- Strengthen integrated health service delivery across provinces
- Enhance coordination between health facilities and community health workers
- Improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes
- Strengthen health information systems for evidence-based decision-making
- Support equitable access to healthcare services across islands and rural areas
Health System Strengthening Approach
The programme supports systemic improvements in:
- Facility readiness for service delivery
- Health workforce coordination and supervision
- Provincial and national health system management
- Continuity of care across community and facility levels
- Monitoring and evaluation systems for health services
Community Health and Outreach
A major component of the programme is strengthening community-level health services through:
- Collaboration with village health workers
- Expanded outreach to remote communities and schools
- Regular health events and mobile health activities
- Improved access to maternal and child health services
- Increased community participation in health promotion activities
Health Information Systems and Data Use
The initiative emphasizes improved data systems through:
- Training on health information management
- Data quality assessments and reviews
- Strengthening reporting systems at facility and provincial levels
- National workshops on data use for decision-making
- Evidence-based planning and monitoring
Expected Results
The programme is expected to deliver:
- Improved primary health care capacity across provinces
- Facility-level needs assessments and capacity-building reports
- Strengthened supervision and management systems
- Regular planning and coordination meetings
- Improved quality and reliability of health data
- Enhanced community-based service delivery
- Increased coverage of maternal and child health services
Collaboration Framework
The programme is implemented through collaboration between:
- UNICEF
- Ministry of Health (Vanuatu)
- Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
- Civil society organisations (CSOs)
This multi-stakeholder approach ensures coordinated health service delivery and stronger system integration.
Importance of the Programme
This initiative is important because it:
- Strengthens primary healthcare systems in vulnerable settings
- Improves maternal and child health outcomes
- Enhances access to healthcare in remote islands and communities
- Builds stronger health data and decision-making systems
- Supports equitable and inclusive health service delivery
- Improves coordination between national and community health systems
Conclusion
The UNICEF primary health care initiative in Vanuatu aims to build stronger, more integrated, and more equitable health systems. By improving facility readiness, community outreach, and health data systems, the programme ensures better access to essential health services and strengthens long-term health system resilience across provinces.
For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.