Residents of Wam Village and surrounding communities in rural Drekikier now have improved access to essential healthcare following the official opening of a new Level Two Health Centre on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
The facility, established by Nazarene Health Ministries (NHM), will provide a range of essential health services, including the diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses such as tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and dental conditions.
It will also provide nutrition services, antenatal care for expectant mothers, supervised deliveries and other essential maternal health services.
The new health centre was officially launched in the presence of NHM Chief Executive Officer Joseph Sika and his executive team, as well as East Sepik Provincial Health Authority (ESPHA) Deputy Director for District Affairs – Public Health, Raymond Pohonai, Deputy Director for Programmes – Public Health, Margareth Morisause, and health officials from ESPHA headquarters in Wewak.
The facility was developed by NHM, a church-run non-government organisation and an implementing partner of ESPHA.
It replaces a government-run aid post that was originally established in the 1980s. After years of deterioration, NHM revived the facility in 2014, with ESPHA later providing staff and administrative support through its partnership arrangements.
The newly constructed health centre was launched together with a support vehicle and a church under NHM’s theme, “We treat, Jesus heals.”
Speaking at the launch, Mr Pohonai congratulated NHM and acknowledged the important role played by church-run health organisations in extending healthcare services to remote communities across East Sepik Province.
“ESPHA currently has 34 partners, and we are thankful to have church-run facilities operating in remote areas where ESPHA’s presence is limited. Hence, we are keen to support these facilities in our capacity as the lead health organisation for the province,” he said.
Mr Pohonai said East Sepik’s large geographical area and widely dispersed rural communities made partnerships essential to ensuring people in remote locations could access healthcare.
“East Sepik has a vast landmass, with our rural communities scattered across challenging geographical locations. Hence, ESPHA alone cannot fully cater for the health and medical needs of our people,” he said.
“It is through partnerships with implementing partners such as NHM that we are able to reach more people in the remote parts of the province.”
Ambunti-Drekikier District Health Manager Eddie Yehrewanie also reaffirmed ESPHA’s commitment to supporting the new facility.
He said the district had health workers available to strengthen partner-run facilities, provided suitable accommodation could be made available.
“Accommodation remains one of our main challenges when allocating staff. If NHM can provide accommodation, we will be glad to deploy one or two more staff to strengthen health service delivery in Wam and the surrounding communities,” Mr Yehrewanie said.
For the Wam community, the opening of the facility marks an important improvement in access to maternal and general healthcare.
Community members expressed relief and appreciation for the new health centre, particularly the antenatal clinic, labour ward and support vehicle.
Residents said several mothers had died during childbirth in the past because of the lack of supervised delivery services and reliable transportation. They said the new facility would help save lives by providing timely maternal care and enabling referrals to district and provincial hospitals when required.
The facility was officially launched by Micah Iale, the longest-serving Community Health Worker in Wam Village. Mr Iale has supported healthcare delivery in the community since the 1980s and has played a significant role in shaping NHM’s health interventions in Wam.
NHM also announced that a solar-powered oxygen concentrator would soon be installed at the facility to provide oxygen support for patients and assist during medical emergencies.
Mr Pohonai said there was potential for the facility to expand its services in the future if it was effectively utilised and maintained proper reporting systems to ESPHA and the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health.
The opening of the Wam Level Two Health Centre is being hailed as an example of the importance of collaboration between the Nazarene Church and its Health Ministry, ESPHA, the Wam community and Nazarene Church communities across the Maprik and Ambunti-Drekikier districts.
The partnership contributes to the objectives of Key Result Areas 1, 2 and 3 of Papua New Guinea’s National Health Plan 2021–2030, particularly in strengthening access to essential health services for rural and remote communities.
