Local churches in Savaia and Siumu teamed up with the South Seas Christian Ministries (SSCM) to provide a medical clinic free of charge to anyone in their villages.

Doctors started at 8 a.m. and finished at 5 p.m. and saw more than 250 people throughout the two-day clinic in Savaia. 

Filled with long lines of people waiting to receive healthcare services, the clinic hit capacity early in the morning on the second day and had to start turning people away. 

Doctors, volunteers, and church members came from Hawaii and California, taking time off work, to provide physical examinations, medication, and eyeglasses.  

“This clinic has a big impact, especially when people are not able to see or read because they don’t have prescription glasses and now for the first time they're able to see,” said Christian Faoa, a pastor in Samoa. 

This is the first clinic that has returned since the pandemic began, the last clinic SSCM held was in 2019. This year, word was spread through the church and greater community and reached people in nearby villages. 

People were checked-in outside the church by volunteers where they were asked basic questions about their medical history and had their vitals taken. Afterward, they lined up outside the church and sat in waiting areas before being seen by a doctor.

“Speaking to some of the patients that have been coming through, their experience is that the environment is so friendly, you feel welcomed,” Faoa said. 

During examinations, some of the most common health issues doctors diagnosed people with were diabetes and high blood pressure, according to Rob Denton, a pastor from California who brought his church on this mission trip. 

Those diagnosed with chronic diseases were given medication to help address these health concerns. 

“We went to our local hospitals and they have sheets on how to deal with that in the Samoan language so we were able to provide how to take care of diabetes but also provide preventative information,” Denton said. 

Patients with conditions requiring deeper care were referred to the hospital in Motootua for follow-up care highlighting the limited healthcare services in rural communities. 

According to Denton, the shortage of doctors in Samoa has caused people to travel farther distances to access these services. 

“I think for us here, especially here in our district [the biggest barrier] is the distance,” said Faoa. “Because of transportation, it costs a lot, 5 tala, 10 tala, from people’s budgets. If we had our own hospital here, it would be helpful.” 

According to Faoa, people are now talking about when a hospital will arrive in their district and if they will receive the same level of care they received at the mission’s clinic.  

“We can’t wait to get our own hospital,” Faoa said. 

The next clinic will take place in Siumu for two days on Wednesday and Thursday. 

In the future, the South Seas Christian Ministry plans to build homes for people in need and establish a community centre in Vaitele. In this community centre, they hope to establish a permanent medical clinic, and a preschool, and continue spreading the word of god.