A mission-run rural hospital overseen by Lutheran Health Services, serving Tewai-Siassi District and neighbouring areas. It is located about 15 km inland from Wasu (Wasu is the main access airstrip and seaport for the area). The hospital is on a hill above the coast, surrounded by mountains and bush at approx. Latitude / Longitude: −6.02408, 147.19547.

The Hospital functions as the main rural referral hospital for Tewai-Siassi and also serves parts of Kabwum (Morobe) and Rai Coast (Madang); it has a huge catchment area of over 150,000 people served by outreach / clinic patrols). The Facilities / services consist of an operating theatre, small pharmacy and diagnostic capability (at small scale), and was elevated to a Level-4 rural referral status after facility upgrades.

Challenges / recent history: The hospital has faced staffing and funding shortages in past years and at times scaled down services due to funding constraints; there were infrastructure upgrades/openings reported as recently as November 2024.

Etep Rural Hospital remains a critical health facility for hundreds of remote villages — often the only accessible clinical referral point within hundreds of kilometres of rugged terrain. Its services help reduce avoidable deaths from emergencies, maternal complications, infectious diseases, and other conditions that are otherwise difficult to treat without significant travel.

Operational Status (Historical Challenges & Current Situation)

Operational funds has been the issue because government-provided operational grants (channeled through Christian Health Services) were delayed or withheld, forcing the facility to scale down services substantially. As a result, at times the hospital was reported closed for general services, attending only critical emergency cases such as complicated childbirth or surgical emergencies. There were efforts to reopen fully, but funds were often inaccessible due to administrative hurdles (e.g., missing paperwork such as “Form 11” required for banks) despite allocations from district authorities. During closures, communities faced high travel costs and long waits to get care in Lae, which was impractical for many.

Even amid partial closure, the hospital continued to accept emergencies — particularly obstetric emergencies like retained placenta and acute surgical needs — because these could not be safely deferred. This meant that while routine outpatient care (e.g., treatment for malaria, flu, general illness) was often unavailable at Etep during those periods, emergency interventions were prioritized in recognition of the lack of alternatives locally.

Recent Developments & Current Activity (2024–2025)

Infrastructure and staffing improvements have been documented by the hospital’s own communications, indicating ongoing operations and investment in facilities (e.g., new medical ward, staff housing, maternity ward and pathology lab, and power restoration projects). There has been internal training and operational reviews, as well as updates on hydro-power restoration and improved water supply. These suggest that the hospital is currently functioning as an active health facility, rather than being fully closed — though conditions may reflect resource limitations typical of rural mission-run hospitals.

Support, Partnerships & Infrastructure Development

Etep Rural Hospital has benefitted from community support and partner programmes: Infrastructure projects like new wards, staff housing, maternity facilities and pathology lab expansions have been developed with support from district authorities, donors, and church partners. Efforts to improve power and water supply (e.g., hydro installation, future solar planning) are part of ongoing development to stabilise essential services.

Gatop Mission Station

Gatop Mission Station is located at Ukata District of ELCPNG in Wasu LLG of Tewai Siassi District, Morobe Province. Located about 20 kilometers from Wasu going up the mountain a place next to Ulap Mission station where Lutheran Missionaries first established their mission’s center. Now a historical site the missions work has served the people of Ulap, Kabwum and Tapen and even missionaries from Ulap were commissioned and sent to the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The environment is cold and many times foggy, with mixture of crops growing at high altitude. A well respected place by the people of Ukata District, the unity and bond among the people is the core values that keeps Ukata district alive and going forward. Over the years oversees missionaries who served at Gatop has delivered a lot in terms of service delivery and spiritual development for the people of Gatop and Ukata district as a whole. This is evident in hydropower development, different technical tasks developed and maintained at Gatop, the missions work and others. The President is the head of ELCPNG Ukata District with his executive team who manage the daily affairs of the district. The acronym Ukata stands for Ulap, Kabwum and Tapen are 3 different circuits in that made up Ukata District.