Anglican Missions had the privilege of visiting two health facilities in Papua New Guinea from 31 August- 14 September 2025, just days before their 50th anniversary of Independence.
The purpose of the visit was threefold: to strengthen the relationship between AM and the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea (ACPNG), to participate in the Annual Partners’ Meeting, and to witness the life and ministry of the church both in the community and in the hospitals.
The trip comprised participants from organisations across the Pacific, including members of Church Partnership UK, the Diocese of Norwich, Bishop Andrew from the Diocese of Waiapu in New Zealand, as well as acting Archbishop Nathan Ingen, health workers from Movi Health Center and Katereda Hospital, students from Newton Theological College, and local government and parish community leaders.
The visit involved trips to Anglican institutions across the country, predominantly parishes, schools, and health centers. The most notable takeaway of the trip was witnessing the deep need present at two different Anglican clinics, which both lacked basic services including consistent electricity and water.
Katereda (St. Margaret’s) Hospital, Oro Bay
Katereda Hospital was a stark illustration of the acute challenges facing frontline services. The facility provides essential care across a wide catchment: maternal and child health, vaccinations, treatment of STIs, injury care (including those from tribal conflicts and road accidents), and public health education. Yet, the it is operating with inadequate infrastructure and chronic resource shortages.
The hospital has an unreliable water supply with guttering in disrepair, a broken generator, and an unusable filtration unit. Despite these limitations, the clinic’s health workers remain highly motivated and committed, continuing to serve their community under difficult circumstances. They have shared their excitement at the potential to fix the water and electricity supplies to enable more efficient and healthy care for their patients.
Movi Health Center, Siane
The Movi Health Center serves over 6000 people spread across 27 wards with a small but committed staff of 5 healthcare workers. They face extreme challenges with safe water security and electricity supply. The clinic’s generator is currently broken, meaning the hospital has no power and cannot function past dark.
The staff are also dealing with water shortages due to broken guttering, which renders the emergency water storage tanks unviable. This is especially dangerous during natural disasters in the region, including landslides, droughts, frost events, tribal conflicts, and disease outbreaks. In spite of these challenges, the Siane community has strong local leadership, and is committed to supporting the clinic’s continued functioning.
Going Forward
Going forward, Anglican Missions is excited to strengthen our relationship with ACPNG further by exploring the potential of a health and resilience project at Katereda Hospital and Movi Health Center. We hope to work alongside the Williams Trust, ACPNG, the Diocese of Waiapu, and the dedicated healthcare staff to improve quality of life, dignity, and healthcare in these communities.
This project will include the maintenance of existing infrastructure including water and electricity systems as well as the supply of additional medical equipment. We also hope to work alongside local parishes in these communities to discuss disaster preparedness and make a disaster preparedness plan for the parishes and clinics.