The Nine Mile Clinic - From Strength to Strength

Update August - October 2007
The Nine Mile Urban Clinic in Port Moresby opened in 1994 as a mobile unit and moved into a purpose-built building in 1999. The Clinic is now recognised as a centre of excellence for urban health in Papua New Guinea, and has multiple roles with new programs being introduced regularly. It is also where we pilot programs which can then be implemented in other clinics in the city and the highlands.

The Nine Mile Clinic is a place where:

• Mothers bring their young babies for immunisations and nutrition checks so they can grow up healthy and strong
• Pregnant mums are checked and encouraged so they can have a safe delivery at the hospital
• Couples who have completed their families come for family planning so that they are better able to provide food and education for all their children
• People worried that they may have AIDS come to be tested and counselled
• People obtain health education and condoms
• Those with sexually transmitted disease are treated and advised
• Children and adults with malaria and tuberculosis are diagnosed, treated and cured
• Medical students from the University come to learn community medicine

Nine Mile is:

• on the north-eastern edge of Port Moresby
• rapidly growing - the population has doubled in the last 12 years
• a poor area - homes in the area are usually squatter dwellings without electricity or access to water on the block. Unemployment is high, particularly for youth.

Our clinic:

• sees around 30,000 people per year – the fourth busiest health facility in the capital.
• is greatly respected as a place of care and compassion, and any patients travel from long distances to come for help
• Our laboratory is one of the best in the city
• is a joint program between HOPE worldwide (PNG) and the PNG Department of Health.
• HOPE worldwide provides 16 full- and part-time staff and the Government 4 full-time staff. In addition, 7 HOPE worldwide staff working full-time in HIV/AIDS are based at the clinic.
• the Government provides medications, we cover other supplies, logistics, electricity, telephone and admin costs.
• Most of HOPE worldwide’s contribution is in turn recompensed by the Government through a grant from the Churches Medical Council.
• General medical costs are covered by supporters in Auckland and also Canberra
• Family Health International (USAID-funded) and the PNG National AIDS Council / NHASP (AusAID funded) sponsor our work in HIV/AIDS.

The clinic has received support from many agencies including NZAID, Rotary, Family Health International, and the World Health Organisation.

What’s new at Nine Mile in 2007?

• The laboratory has being expanded with funds and guidance from the World Health Organisation
  With help from Rotary, we are about to distribute bed nets (to prevent malaria) through the whole district
• The HIV/AIDS and sexual health program funded by Family Health International is being expanded in 2007-8
• Approval has been given for the building of an annex that will be a counselling and day-care centre for people with HIV/AIDS
• The tuberculosis control program funded by The Charitable Foundation is markedly increasing cure rates
• The National Superannuation Fund (NASFUND) has donated various pieces off medical equipment and other supplies

To read more about our programs in Papua New Guinea and the Nine Mile Clinic, click here.