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Catherine Love writes about Kompiam District Hospital, the largest project undertaken by Architects Without Frontiers to date and a collaboration with Engineers Without Borders.
Kompiam District Hospital currently has about 30 beds and is located about 5hrs drive from Mount Hagen, the entry point to the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Dennis Small and Catherine Love, of AWF, and Ben Patrick, of Engineers Without Borders, flew to Kompiam in late 2007 to visit the site.
The Hospital is run by Dr David Mills, Medical Superintendent for Enga Baptist Health Services. David’s plan is to double the size of the Hospital to 70 beds, comprising a 28 bed ward; an 8 bed ICU ward; an 8 bed HIV ward, with an HIV/AIDS counselling ward discretely located over; an 8 bed maternity ward; an 8 bed pediatric ward; a dispensary; an outpatients wing; and a new wing
containing 2 theatres and scrub rooms. HIV/Aids is an increasing issue in PNG.
Dr Mills already has the finance for the paediatrics wing, and the ICU/HIV wing, but has yet to find funding for the Maternity wing, the Dispensary/Outpatients Wing and the Critical Care wings.
The site is extremely remote, made more inaccessible by the condition of the roads and the steep terrain - the last 35km to the site takes 2.5hrs to travel. This makes transportation of materials to the site an issue. As Catherine describes it,
on those roads, either the cars slide off the mountain, or the mountain slides off the mountain.
The visit was not without excitement, which included being stopped by a mob carrying machetes and axes, who suggested that as they were repairing the road, they deserved payment. They were duly paid!
1:200 plans and models were presented to David and his staff; and used to show the Minister of Health in a bid for funds.
Kompiam District Hospital is a beacon for good healthcare and the proposed extension has also become a benchmark for hospitals in PNG according to recent reports. The staff are proud of their achievements over the last 10 years and have requested that this be reflected in the design of the hospital.
As all the building materials have to be transported by road from Mount Hagen, the palette is limited. Metal roof and wall cladding on timber framing (with detailing in mind for termites) and glass louvers are great for transport and light but difficult
to keep clean, so the team are exploring possibility of materials such as crime safe.
Further challenges in the design include a limited electricity supply (only 3hrs by generator per day, supplemented by solar power), availability of materials, vandalism, termites, cleaning/hygiene, a preference for new materials over traditional, a perception that ‘new’ has permanence and the performance of modern materials in an equatorial climate.
Since our visits to Kompiam the team have worked hard (over 6,000hrs to date) on plans, models and elevations and it has been an incredible experience.
We believe we are definitely working for communities in need. PNG hospitals are very basic compared to standards we take for granted. We are deeply engaged in the AWF charter: to assist communities in need regardless of race, religion or creed and to be involved in an exchange of ideas. |
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