Improving energy accessibility and reliability for essential healthcare services in remote Papua New Guinea communities
27%
73%
Partner contribution
$ 87,592
DFAT contribution
$ 239,540
Total Value
$ 327,132
Start: July 2024 - End: January 2026
Australian Government
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade works with international partners and other countries to tackle global challenges, increase trade and investment opportunities, protect international rules, keep our region stable and help Australians overseas.
Caritas Australia
Caritas Australia is the International Aid and Development Agency of the Catholic Church in Australia and a member of Caritas Internationalis, one of the world’s largest humanitarian networks.
Catholic Church Health Services
Catholic Church Health Services is a network of health service delivery in Papua New Guinea affiliated to the Health Commission under the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG & Solomon Islands.
bechtel.org
bechtel.org serves as the impact infrastructure arm of Bechtel Corporation, providing Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) technical services to execute projects that support market-led growth and promote community resilience.
A partnership to improve energy accessibility and reliability for essential healthcare services in remote Papua New Guinea communities.
Context
New Ireland’s Lemakot Health Facility and the Raihu Rural Hospital in Aitape, Papua New Guinea provide essential healthcare services, including maternity and paediatric services, to approximately 15,000 women and children living in these communities and surrounds.
The facilities currently rely on diesel generators for lighting and powering equipment, which can be unreliable, impacting the ability for doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals to deliver their important work.
About the initiative
Caritas Australia is partnering with Catholic Church Health Services, bechtel.org and the Australian Government to improve the energy security and reliability at the Lemakot Health Facility and the Raihu Rural Hospital by introducing off-grid renewable energy solutions.
It aims to limit the healthcare facilities’ dependence on diesel generators, ensuring consistent energy supply and enabling better climate outcomes through renewable energy. Both the Lemakot Health Facility and the Raihu Rural Hospital also serve as training facilities for health care workers and by improving energy access, this partnership will also improve the quality of the learning experience, which in turn will improve outcomes for future healthcare professionals.
Here from our partners
Key contributions from partners
- Caritas Australia is responsible for managing the partnership, including stakeholder engagement and monitoring and evaluation.
- Catholic Church Health Services will oversee the implementation of the partnership’s work, coordinating the health facilities and suppliers.
- bechtel.org is providing technical advice on impact infrastructure for the project.
- The Australian Government will contribute catalytic funding. It will also connect partners to networks, provide support through the BPP in gender and disability inclusion, business models, safeguards and impact measurement, as well as support with communications to enable national and global recognition.
This partnership was selected through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) Call for Partnerships to Support Off-Grid Renewable Energy in the Pacific and Timor-Leste.