Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) will partner with 12 countries in the Pacific and Southeast Asia under a $10 million initiative to improve child and adolescent health across the region.
The Australian Government has awarded MCRI a strategic grant as part of its Partnerships for a Healthy Region Initiative.
The three-year funding will be used to establish the ReALiSE program - the Regional Alliance for Learning in Systems for Equitable Child and Adolescent Health - which will strengthen resilience in public health systems and engage with youth leaders and local communities to improve the health of all young people.
Image: Dr Lucas de Toca, Australia's Ambassador for Global Health, signing the agreement with MCRI Director Professor Kathryn North AC alongside the MCRI Global Health team.
MCRI will work with 26 local organisations to:
- Strengthening local health systems data to improve care and the use of oxygen as an essential medicine in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Papua New Guinea
- Improving public health control of neglected tropical diseases, such as scabies, in Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu
- Engaging young leaders to strengthen evidence-based policy for adolescent health in Fiji and Indonesia
- Strengthening communicable disease surveillance and evidence for regional investment in vaccines in Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam
- Engaging young people, families and communities to improve vaccine uptake in Indonesia and the Philippines
Professor Andrew Steer, Director of Infection, Immunity and Global Health at MCRI said; "We are deeply committed to working with young people and communities, our local partners and the Australian Government through this regional health partnership to build expertise and capacity to improve child and adolescent health in the region.
"Over 60 per cent of the world's young people live in the Asia-Pacific. This translates into more than 750 million people aged 15 to 24 years.
"MCRI thanks DFAT and the Government for this additional investment into building our regional partners' capacity."
