Gulf Province
PNG 2024
Mission
“Gulf Province PNG 2024” Mission
After 2 humanitarian missions to the northern islands of Papua New Guinea (New Ireland and New Hanover), Aidocean will be working in the south in April 2024. The multidisciplinary team will be patrolling the Gulf Province for a month, in particular the Purari River estuary. This mission, called Gulf Province PNG 2024 (GP PNG 2024), is in partnership with Gulf Christian Services and the Gulf Province Health Authority, and still has the same objective: to provide medical assistance to the people, and especially the children, of Papua New Guinea.
This mission in PNG is based on the “2021-2030 Emergency Plan” drawn up by the WHO, the American Red Cross and UNICEF. The most under-vaccinated countries in the world urgently need to be vaccinated against measles and rubella to combat new epidemics.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the 194th least vaccinated country in the world…
Objectives of the Gulf Province PNG 2024 mission
Vaccination and medical care remained the priority for Mission 2024:
- Primary and booster vaccinations for children aged O to 5 against measles, rubella, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, whooping cough and poliomyelitis ;
- Dental care ;
- Pregnancy monitoring ;
- Eye checks and distribution of magnifying glasses;
- Distribution of books in schools.
Introducing Gulf Christian Services
(From the Gulf Christian Services Website)
Gulf Christian Services is a Christian health and educational agency running two hospitals, a nursing training school, primary and secondary schools and two vibrant communities in the remote part of the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea
Kapuna hospital
Kapuna’s journey began back before the war when a donor in the UK gave a sum of money to the work of the London Missionary Society (LMS) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The gift was to buy a comfortable boat for the missionaries to use for their work, but they said “The greatest need of our people is medical care given in the love of God” And so in 1949 a hospital and not a boat was built. Kapuna rural hospital was built on the banks of the Purari River, The hospital has stood and served for seventy years.
The Kapuna rural hospital was then built on the banks of the Purari river, and in 1954, a couple of New Zealand doctors settled there: Peter and Lin Calvert. All their lives, they have worked to treat and protect the inhabitants of the region. Their daughter Valerie now runs the Kapuna hospital. Since 2022, renovation work has been undertaken to improve care.
Kikori hospital
In 1996 the dilapidated Kikori health centre, a hundred km to the West of Kapuna became part of Gulf Christian Services (GCS). Under GCS management it is now elevated to a district hospital serving villages from the mountains to the sea.
Gulf Christian Services has been providing Christ-centered services for over 70 years to communities in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea.
Aidocean and Kapuna hospital
Last year, Marine BAYER, the President of Aidocean, had the honour of meeting Lin Calvert, known as Bubu Mei, a few months before her death. At the age of 98, Bubu Mei and her daughter Valerie (who has taken over the running of the Kapuna hospital) wanted to work in partnership with Aidocean. So a project was set up with Gulf Christian Services, which runs the Kapuna hospital, to bring healthcare to isolated villages in the Purari river delta: the Gulf Province PNG 2024 mission was born.
The GP PNG 2024 mission team
Two teams will take turns on this mission.
For the first two weeks, the Aidocean team will be composed of :
- Marine Bayer, nurse and President of Aidocean
- Christophe Grangeon, doctor and Aidocean secretary
- Jean Percetti, nurse
- Elisa Guerinoni, midwife
- Frédéric Laville, dentist
The local team of health professionals at Kapuna Hospital:
- Wendy Haula, eyes specialist
- Junior Moke, vaccinator
- Matthew Angum, vaccinator
- Morea Joseph, dentist
- Ruthieane Tavarua, doctor
The last 15 days :
- Marine Bayer, nurse and President of Aidocean
- Christophe Grangeon, doctor and Aidocean secretary
- Agnes Durieux, communications manager for the association
- Maud Keraudy, auxiliary nursery nurse
- Françoise Quinaud Green, gynaecologist
- David Chaudey, nurse
The local team of health professionals from Kapuna hospital:
- Manu Franck, eye specialist
- Margaret Girimo, vaccinator
- Kaiki Komal, vaccinator
- Azariah Samson, dentist
- Khlato Mengeap, doctor
The presence of local staff is always precious, both for extending the healthcare on offer and for communicating with the local population, since more than 16 tribal clans are spread across the area, with 7 different languages. The most common are: Pawaia, Ahia/Kaura & Orokolo.
Without them, our work would be more limited and less effective.
To find out more about the association’s staff, please see the “Founder and team” page.
Working area
The Purari River estuary is 300km as the crow flies from Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby. The nearest road stops at Kerema (4hrs 40mins from the capital). As on previous missions, the Aidocean team will be reaching the area by sea. It is aboard the M/V Silver Star, a 34m-long barge, that the team will be able to reach the various villages. This shallow-draught barge is ideal for navigating up the meandering Purari River.
The mission is part of the Quatery Health Patrol in the area corresponding to the PAOI (Project Area Of Influence) of the Papua LNG Project.
Would you like to join an Aidocean mission?
We currently have the support of a number of players, and we would like to thank them. We are still looking for funding to be able to offer even more care and equipment to the people of Papua New Guinea. If you would like to support us, you can make an online donation. You can also contact us with any partnership proposals.
Thank you for your support. Without you, the care missions would not take place!
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