×

Portals

images
1983

Jill Moloney

inducted 2017 Health

About Jill Moloney

Jill Moloney has had an extensive career in nursing and public health in Australia and internationally. One of only a few westerners to work in North Korea, Jill designed a life-saving program to improve birthing services and live birth outcomes that was implemented across the whole country and is still in use. Jill has worked with non-government aid organisations including Save the Children, Concern Worldwide, CARE, GOAL, Malteser, Medicins du Monde, ACIL, Café Clinic Timor, Red Cross, and Australian Volunteers.

Jill completed her secondary education at St Ann’s up to Year 11 in 1982 and then went to TAFE to complete TOP because Psychology was not offered at St Ann’s that year.

In 1984 Jill commenced her study of Nursing through Warrnambool Base Hospital and then began her first Nursing job in Darwin. From there she worked throughout NT and QLD as well as in Melbourne and Alice Springs.

After going to Sydney to study midwifery in the Northern Sydney Area Midwifery School, Jill returned to Alice Springs and went to Nhulunbuy in East Arnhem Land where she developed an interest in public health.

In central Queensland, Jill’s interest in public health became a career and she was soon coordinating and providing education and support to health professionals who deliver care to patients in a 540,000 square kilometre area. In 2000 Jill began her international work after replying to a newspaper ad for a midwife to work in Cambodia.

Jill returned to Australia to complete a Masters of International Public Health at the University of Sydney.

Jill’s next role was in North Korea - a country that is usually closed to foreigners. In North Korea she developed and introduced a successful program designed to improve birthing services. At the time the North Koreans were using 1950’s soviet obstetric techniques.
That
A role with Save the Children in Pyongyang, North Korea followed. Working with the Korean Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning Association, Jill was asked to replicate the program she had introduced. The program was put in service for the whole country - for Doctors, doctors assistants, midwives and nurses.

During a stint in Niger during the drought and famine emergency, Jill worked in community mobilisation where she ensured the community were fully informed about what was going on to create order and prevent rampaging at the food distribution centres.

Working in public health in Uganda Jill returned to a maternal child health focus, teaching traditional birth attendants through a hospital midwifery school established by the Vatican. Jill identified a need for better neonatal care and successfully introduced Kangaroo Mother Care. This combination of the improved birthing and improved neonatal care led to a 70% reduction in neonatal mortality.

There was civil war at the time and when cholera began to spread in refugee camps Jill became involved in the anti-cholera response.

Jill’s work then took her to Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands followed by a return to Cambodia that saw Jill supporting the University of Health Science as an advisor working with preceptors in the midwifery programs of various hospitals.

In Laos Jill conducted a nutrition survey and was the mentor for the head of a hospital midwifery department working in education management. In Laos Jill also bred chickens to give to women’s groups to assist women to earn an income.

After working in Primary Health Care in Burma Jill again returned to Laos to work in public health.

After a return to the Northern Territory Jill worked on the Australian Nurse-Family Partnership Program. The Top End Program is the first site in the world where the program is being implemented in remote communities. Based in Darwin, Jill serviced the community of Wadeye on the Community Engagement aspect of establishing the service.

Jill's work in midwifery and public health has saved many lives in Australia and overseas. We welcome Jill to the Inspiring Alumni.

View Jill's biography below:

Jill Moloney

Class of 1983