Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is working in Kiribati for the first time, running a project to improve access to healthcare in a country highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
A remote collection of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the people of Kiribati (pronounced ki-ree-bas) face significant health challenges. A lack of fresh food has led to high rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. With the country covering an immense geographical area – mostly ocean – access to healthcare is often difficult; pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.
In Kiribati, MSF teams work on the main island, Tarawa, and on some of the remote outer islands, providing maternal and newborn care in hospitals and maternity wards. We focus on diagnosing and treating diabetes in pregnant women and improving care for newborn babies.
The climate crisis has major consequences for life in Kiribati, where rising sea levels, and declining arable land and fresh water supplies, have directly impacted people’s health