Amanda H. A. Watson

Maternal Health Phone Line: Saving Women in Papua New Guinea

This paper presents the findings of a research project which has involved the establishment of a maternal health phone line in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Mobile phones and landline phones are key information and communication technologies (ICTs). This research study uses the “ICTs for healthcare development” model to ascertain benefits and barriers to the successful implementation of the Childbirth Emergency Phone. PNG has a very high maternal mortality rate. The “three stages of delay” typology was developed by Thaddeus and Maine to determine factors that might delay provision of appropriate medical treatment and hence increase risk of maternal death. The “three stages of delay” typology has been utilised in various developing countries and also in the present study. Research undertaken has involved semi-structured interviews with health workers, both in rural settings and in the labour ward in Alotau. Additional data has been gathered through focus groups with health workers, analysis of notes made during phone calls, interviews with women and community leaders, observations and field visits. One hundred percent of interviewees (n = 42) said the project helped to solve communication barriers between rural health workers and Alotau Provincial Hospital. Specific examples in which the phone line has helped to create positive health outcomes will be outlined in the paper, drawn from research interviews. The Childbirth Emergency Phone project has shown itself to play a critical role in enabling healthcare workers to address life-threatening childbirth complications. The project shows potential for rollout across PNG; potentially reducing maternal morbidity and maternal mortality rates by overcoming communication challenges.

From garamut to mobile phone: Communication change in rural Papua New Guinea:

This article presents the attitudinal response of rural villagers in Papua New Guinea to mobile telephony, based on a threshold study made during the early stages of its adoption. The research indicates that the introduction of mobile telecommunications has generally been viewed positively, with mobile phones affording social interaction with loved ones. Nonetheless, negative concerns have been strongly felt, notably financial costs and anxiety about mobile phones aiding in the coordination of extramarital liaisons and criminal activities. The communities investigated previously had scant access to modern communication technologies, some still using traditional means such as wooden slit drums, known locally as garamuts. The expansion of mobile network coverage has introduced into communal village life the capability to communicate dyadically and privately at a distance. Investigation into the adoption of mobile phones thus promotes understanding about traditional means of communication and notions of public and private interactions.

Early Experience of Mobile Telephony: A Comparison of Two Villages in Papua New Guinea

abstract This paper examines social change following the recent introduction of mobile telephony into rural communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG). It presents the findings of substantial fieldwork conducted in 2009, and suggests ways in which the new technology is already changing people’s lives and relationships. The paper identifies the roles of mobile telephones in two communities, the changes taking place, and how villagers are responding to them. Comparison of the two villages is strategic as it highlights similarities in perceptions of mobile phones in these two very different settings. An ethnographic approach is adopted, situated within an interpretative methodology. Data collection methods include semi-structured interviews, orally administered surveys and participant observation. The theoretical lens is focused on the ‘communicative ecology’ concept, which stems from the communication research tradition. This research is significant as it addresses changes currently occurring in the communication methods of whole communities.

SMS Story: A Case Study of a Controlled Trial in Papua New Guinea

The reading proficiency of elementary and primary school children in Papua New Guinea is low, and, while many factors contribute to this, the lack of reading materials in elementary classrooms is a key contributing factor. The SMS Story research project aimed to determine the effectiveness of daily mobile phone text message stories and lesson plans to teachers on children’s reading ability in the early years of schooling in Papua New Guinea. The research was conducted in 2013 and involved an experimental design, with treatment and control schools. At baseline, treatment and control schools had comparable school characteristics and reading levels. At the endpoint reading assessment, there was a statistically significant difference between the results of students in the treatment and control schools, with the treatment group performing better than the control group across four of the five reading skills tested. Teachers in treatment schools were also much more likely to have recently employed best practice teaching methods. Thus, SMS Story was found to have had a positive influence on the teaching and learning of reading. In the context of the largest, most populous country in the Pacific, where only a second-generation (2G) mobile network is currently available in most places, SMS Story provides useful insights regarding the effective use of simple technology.