The ‘Building Climate-Resilient Healthcare Facilities in the Pacific’ report, was commissioned by The Foundation, with funding from the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), through its Climate Finance for Community Resilience Programme.

The Foundation partnered with national governments, provincial authorities, and community stakeholders in the Pacific to assess climate risks and identify actions to ensure healthcare facilities remain safe, functional and sustainable.

Healthcare infrastructure across Pacific Island nations faces mounting climate risks - from extreme weather and rising seas to power and water disruptions. These challenges threaten the delivery of essential health services, including eye care.

Dr Audrey Aumua, CEO of The Foundation, says addressing these risks is critical to ensuring continuity of care for communities already dealing with fragile health systems.

“The climate crisis can have an enormous impact on the delivery of healthcare across the Pacific. Disruptions to power, water, and staffing can halt surgeries and outreach, delaying or denying care to those in need,” she says.

“As climate impacts intensify, long-term planning and investment in resilient, sustainable healthcare facilities is essential. This report outlines practical steps to protect and futureproof services for Pacific communities.”

The Foundation partnered with Edge Impact to assess three Foundation-supported eye clinics: Regional Eye Centre, in Solomon Islands; National Eye Centre, in Vanuatu; Madang Eye Clinic, in Papua New Guinea - as well as several rural health facilities in Madang Province.

Guided by the World Health Organization’s tool for Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care Facilities (CRESHCF), this framework reviews healthcare facility operations, infrastructure, and services in the context of climate vulnerability.

The assessment looks at healthcare personnel, structural integrity, energy systems, water supply networks and waste management facilities - with a focus on flooding risk, extreme weather resilience, and sustainable energy alternatives.

The report recommends measures to improve climate resilience across a wide range of healthcare facilities. Key action areas include:

• Health workforce: Training and supporting local healthcare workers to respond to extreme weather events, health risks linked to climate change, and service disruptions - ensuring uninterrupted care.

• Water, sanitation, and waste: Upgrading water and waste systems using rainwater harvesting and filtration to ensure safe water for patient care and surgeries; and improving medical waste storage and handling to reduce health and environmental risks.

• Energy: Installing solar power with battery and backup systems to ensure reliable power for lighting, equipment, refrigeration, and surgeries.

• Infrastructure and design: Upgrading clinics with stronger building materials and climate-resilient designs, including passive cooling features like ventilated roofs and shaded windows to withstand heat and storms, while reducing reliance on energy-intensive cooling systems.

Matthew Peck, Climate Consultant at Edge Impact, says the report demonstrates how sustainable and resilient infrastructure can reduce climate-related disruptions, improve access to care, and redirect resources towards better patient outcomes.

“Climate-resilient and sustainable healthcare facilities are those that can anticipate, respond to, and recover from climate-related events and pressures, while minimising environmental impact and supporting long-term community and ecosystem health,” he says.

“Enhancements such as tailored energy system design, expanded water capture and storage systems, and health workforce capacity building in disaster preparedness are expected to add on average over 30 operational days annually and enable an additional 2,503 medical interventions across the assessed clinics.

“In addition, Edge Impact predicted an estimated USD$903,498 in projected energy system savings by 2040 across the three centres.”

Rudolph Mongallee, Madang Provincial Government's Disaster Manager, says report findings were a real eye opener for the province.

“We can’t relate our understanding of the climate back to what it was 15 to 20 years ago. The weather patterns we are seeing now - the dry season is longer; the wet season is shorter - and there have been problems with power systems and access.

“What The Foundation is doing, is fantastic. It’s not only responding now, but it’s also providing awareness and training to assist the community to be more resilient and prepare themselves. This will benefit the people of Madang."

Dr Aumua stresses the importance of all stakeholders – including governments, organisations, and communities – working together and committing to these vital changes.

“Safeguarding healthcare facilities helps preserve access to vital services as the impacts of climate change become more apparent. The future of healthcare delivery in the Pacific depends on the actions we take today,” she says.

The report is part of The Foundation’s Building Community-level Climate Resilience Project (BCCR). Detailed technical reports will be shared with Pacific stakeholders to build knowledge and skills in health and climate, supporting greater climate resilience in the Pacific.