Gaubin Rural Hospital is on the Southern Tip of Karkar Island in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. The island lies off the north coast of Madang Province approximately 74Km away from Madang Town.

Gaubin is a small coastal settlement on the southeastern side of Karkar Island. Most of the people at Gaubin and neighbouring villages are Takia speaking people. People depend heavily on Farming, Fishing, Coconut and cocoa production

The population of Karkar Island is “approximately 70,000.” Religiously the population is “mostly Lutheran or Catholic On social structure: there are about 52 villages on the island; of these, around 79% (≈ 41 villages) are along the coast.

Gaubin Rural Hospital

The Hospital is operated by Lutheran Health Services and serves the entire Karkar Island population. The Hospital provides outpatient, inpatient, maternal health, emergency care, and rural outreach. The average monthly caseload at Gaubin Hospital could gone up to 100 – 150 patients in a month. The hospital has “nine wards – labour ward, children’s ward, TB ward, disabled ward, VCT centre, operating theatre, Outpatient, laboratory, plus the X-ray and dispensary,” and “can cater for 50 patients at any one time.”

The hospital serves the population on the island (and possibly nearby mainland), which is reportedly around 60,000 people. The hospital’s capacity can cater for 50 patients at any one time.

Key Challenges

1. Inadequate infrastructure — buildings, labour ward and operating theatre need renovation
2. Unreliable water, power and essential equipment — problems with water supply and intermittent power have been reported; recent efforts include a solar plant installation to reduce fuel costs and improve electricity reliability.
3. Staffing shortages & skill gaps — difficulty recruiting and retaining doctors, nurses and technicians for rural posts is a long-running issue in Madang and at Gaubin specifically; this constrains services and emergency/surgical care.
4. Drug, consumable and equipment stock-outs — regular shortages of medicines, consumables and diagnostic tools limit care and force referrals
5. Operational level below designation — Gaubin is run by the Lutheran mission and has, at times, been operating below its intended level (run as level-3 while serving a much larger catchment), so workload and expectations exceed official capacity
6. Governance / funding fragmentation — decentralization and unclear roles between national, provincial and district levels often leads to funding shortfalls and project delays for rural health facilities

ELCPNG to Install Radio Transmitter and Community Wi-Fi The ICT & Communications Division of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea has already carried out technical survey at Gaubin Rural Hospital on April 2025 and interviewed Community Leaders, Church Elders, Health Workers, Teachers, students and some community members on the availability of radio and internet on Karkar Island. The team is ready to install radio transmitter and community Wi-Fi to minimize internet issues. People at Gaubin will for the first time hear gospel messages direct from Kristen Redio 89.1 FM. Many contents will be aired over the radio and live talk shows both on the radio and live.