Australia is supporting The Kids Research Institute Australia (a University of Western Australia affiliate) and its partners in unifying two decades of work on rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in the Pacific Region. The initiative introduces a new mechanism to grow and expand Pacific health leadership through the Fiji-based Pacific RHD Knowledge Hub. The Hub signifies a new era of coordinated, sustainable and impactful activity, addressing urgent unmet health needs in our region.
Building on the success of the Fiji RHD program, The Kids Research Institute Australia will develop and formalise approaches to working with health authorities, community organisations and research institutions. These approaches are aimed at strengthening national RHD programs at different stages of development in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The program will facilitate country-led steering committees and participatory advisory groups that offer oversight, ownership and ensure national health priorities are integrated within the health systems and local communities.
