Nazarene General Hospital

Founded in 1967, Nazarene General Hospital is a 134-bed hospital which provides both inpatient and outpatient care. It is located in the Jiwaka Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and functions as both a local primary facility as well as a referral center. The location is rural; the nearest small town is about 15 minutes away, and the nearest significant commercial center is about an hour away. The hospital's purpose is to make Christlike disciples through excellent medical care, both in preventative and curative services. The medical work is carried on because the Church of the Nazarene believes we should do as Jesus did and help those who are sick. Nazarene General Hospital provides medical, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric, emergency, and trauma care to its patients with an occupancy rate of 80%. Trauma accounts for about 15% of all work at the hospital due to tribal and family violence or accidents. The outpatient department is very busy (with an attendance of around 60,000 yearly) and is a major part of the hospital's work. It is also the access route by which referral patients see physicians at Kudjip. Patients pay outpatient fees that are fairly reasonable in the local economy. Only rarely is the cost of care a barrier to patients seeking care, and fees are deferred when appropriate. The hospital has five wards containing 134 beds – pediatric, surgical, medical, obstetric and tuberculosis. At times the demand for beds exceeds the number of beds available, but we try to avoid such situations because of the difficulty in providing care to those on the floor and the demands it places on the limited nursing staff. There are around 500 admissions per month. Government supplies of medicines are unreliable, making it difficult for our pharmacy to keep sufficient supplies on hand, but we do our best to supplement with containers from the US a few times a year. The hospital does not have a physical therapy department and they are involved in providing clinics for outlying villages with the intent of establishing centers for primary health care. There is also a nursing school on the hospital station. For additional information check out their website at http://nazpng.org/hospital/.