PNG Medical Blog

When Dr Tscharke arrived on the island, the population was approximately 8,000 and there were no medical facilities.  He had arrived with his wife Tabitha Grace Rohde and they were accommodated by Mr. Lithner who was a coconut plantation manager on Karkar Island.

Pastor Milery Seil and the people of Marup village welcomed Dr Edwin. They supported his mission to build a health facility on the island. With the help of local leaders, 198 hectares of land at Kurum village was given by the people to the church. The land was then registered to the church in 1942.

Dr Edwin began his work and started shipping old timbers and building materials from Finschaffen, Morobe Province to Karkar Island. With the help of locals, he went on to erect 4 buildings that functioned as an obstetric, antenatal, medical and paediatric wards.

The hospital was formally known as the Edwin and Tabitha Tscharke Memorial Hospital. It was renamed Gaubin Rural Hospital by Dr Edwin. “Gau” was the traditional name for a native fig tree that was only found on Karkar Island. “Bin” basically meant seed as understood by Dr Edwin at that time.  Gaubin hospital was thus a seed that was planted on the island so that it would grow into a tree for the people to benefit from its fruits.

The hospital was officially opened on the 28^th of June 1948. It had a total of 85 beds (all of which were welded together by Dr Edwin). It was at this time that he also started training twelve local men as community health workers. Later in 1956 another ward was opened. This ward catered for patients with Tuberculosis and had a total number of eighty beds.

Karkar is surrounded by volcanic sand which is fine and ideal for mixing cement. In 1965, Dr Edwin realized this. He then started refurbishing and rebuilding the hospital using cement and bricks. These buildings are still erect to date and make up what we know now today as Gaubin Rural Hospital.