1. Home
  2. Our Work
  3. Where We Work

Kiribati
The climate crisis is a health crisis and is compounding Kiribati’s complex health challenges.

The tiny remote island nation of Kiribati has some of the highest burdens of disease in the Pacific region and lowest access to universal health coverage. Its health burden profile is complex: non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and hypertension are common; it has a high prevalence of infectious diseases like tuberculosis and leprosy; the country is prone to outbreaks of dengue, diarrhoea and scabies and has the highest rates of neonatal mortality and under-five mortality in the Pacific.

Since October 2022, an MSF team has been working in partnership with Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) colleagues to improve health outcomes for maternal and paediatric patients. 

The Situation in Kiribati

Kiribati is a low-lying, resource-poor Pacific atoll nation. Its 33 islands are dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres of ocean. It is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impacts of the climate crisis.

Kiribati is experiencing air and sea temperature rises, storm surges and high winds, erosion, drought, and flooding. This poses direct and indirect threats to human health, including injury, disease outbreaks, increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases, water insecurity and malnutrition. Kiribati’s size and its remoteness impact its ability to provide comprehensive health care.

 It is very clear that climate change is a compounding factor that increases the burden of disease in Kiribati. This means that we need to act now in trying to assist the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to reduce the burden of disease, which is likely to go up because of the climate crisis.

Alison Jones
medical coordinator for Kiribati. 

Some of its biggest challenges are a chronic shortage of experienced health staff and lack of access to essential medical supplies. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains, further reducing the country’s ability to secure reliable, timely access to drugs and medical equipment. 

Learn more about Kiribati's climate and health challenges

What is MSF doing 

Maternal and neonatal care

An MSF team which includes a paediatrician, midwife, obstetrician and paediatric nurse are working to support Ministry of Health and Medical Services staff, in the country’s main hospital on South Tarawa. MSF teams work across the paediatric and obstetrics wards to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and their babies. Kiribati has high levels of maternal and neonatal mortality with a reported stillbirth rate of two per cent.  

High-risk pregnant women living on the outer islands have limited access to secondary medical care and are referred to the capital Tarawa for specialist care until they deliver.  

Outer-islands support

During 2023 an MSF team has been travelling to eight outer islands (The Southern Gilbert Islands) to support with the detection and management of non-communicable diseases related to maternal health. Other activities focus on working to improve newborn care in the first 24 hours of life, through training local staff in the Helping Babies Breath (HBB) program.

MSF is also helping with a hospital infrastructure upgrade for SKH hospital on the Southern Gilbert Island of North Tabiteuea; refurbishing the maternity and sterilisation rooms and working to improve the waste management system for the hospital. 

MSF's pediatric support in Kiribati

Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in Afghanistan since 1980, providing emergency surgical care, responding to conflict and natural disasters, and treating people cut off from healthcare. 

MSF worked in Angola from 1983 until 2007. Why were we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Social violence/Healthcare exclusion

MSF worked in Argentina from 2001 until 2003. Why were we there? Providing essential medicines and supplies

MSF worked in Belgium from 1987 to 2009

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion Natural disaster

Why are we there? Endemic/Epidemic disease

Cameroon is facing multiple and overlapping crises, including recurrent epidemics, malnutrition due to food insecurity, displacement, and conflict.

Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict Healthcare exclusion Natural disaster

The political, economic and military crises of 2002-2010 have taken a severe toll on the Ivorian health system.

MSF worked in Ecuador until 2007. Why were we there? Endemic/Epidemic disease Natural disaster

Find out more about MSF's work in Egypt

In France, we work with migrants and refugees, who encounter policies and practices aimed at preventing them from settling or claiming their rights.

Why are we there? Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/heathcare exclusion

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease

Haiti’s healthcare system remains precarious in the wake of natural disasters and ongoing political and economic crises. Ongoing disasters have led to Haiti becoming the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Honduras has experienced years of political, economic and social instability, and has one of the highest rates of violence in the world. This has great medical, psychological and social consequences for people.

An MSF team in Hong Kong opened a project at the end of January focusing on health education for vulnerable people. Community engagement is a crucial activity of any outbreak response and in Hong Kong, this focuses on groups who are less likely to have access to important medical information, such as the socio-economically disadvantaged. The team is also targeting those who are more vulnerable to developing severe disease if they are infected, such as the elderly.

MSF worked in Indonesia between 1995 and 2009 Why were we there? Natural disaster

Find out about MSF's work in Iran

Why we are there? Healthcare exclusion Natural disaster

Why are we there? Natural disasters

Jordan hosts over 700,000 refugees, according to the UNHCR, many of whom reside in camps or have settled in the country.

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Healthcare exclusion

Although health services are being progressively restored in Liberia, important gaps persist, notably in specialised paediatric care and mental health.

Libya remains fragmented by a decade of conflict and political instability. The breakdown of law and order, the collapse of the economy, and fighting have decimated the healthcare system.

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Natural disaster

Access to medical care remains very limited in the north and centre of Mali due to a lack of medical staff and supplies and spiralling violence between armed groups.

Why are we there? Access to healthcare

In Mozambique we are responding to emergencies including disease outbreaks, providing care to people with advanced HIV, while also working in the conflict-ridden Cabo-Delgado province.

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Providing comprehensive emergency healthcare to people in remote regions of Pakistan is a priority, yet accessibility and security are a constraint for both Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and patients.

Why are we there? Armed conflict Healthcare exclusion

At the end of 2007, MSF ended its activities in Rwanda after 16 years in the country. MSF's work included assistance to displaced persons, war surgery, programmes for unaccompanied children and street children, support to victims traumatised by the conflict, programmes to improve access to healthcare, responding to epidemics such as malaria, cholera and tuberculosis, and projects linked to maternal and reproductive health.

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why were we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Refugee assistance

Why are we there? Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion

Why were we there? Healthcare exclusion

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease

Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence Healthcare exclusion

Follow Us

Médecins Sans Frontières Australia Ltd. ABN: 74 068 758 654. Registered Charity Number: CFN 11960.
All donations are processed in AUD. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible in Australia only.