The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Vanuatu, Pastor Nos Terry Mailalong, recently visited the Santo bush clinic to receive a gift on behalf of the Church: the piece of land on which the clinic is housed.
It was the first time Pastor Mailalong has visited the clinic in more than 10 years.
Surrounded by hundreds of hectares of dense bush, Santo bush clinic is difficult to access, especially in wet weather.
On the day of his visit (August 27), Pastor Mailalong was greeted by a small group of church members. They then walked around the boundary of the 20-hectare property and identified the landmarks.
Samuel George, a nurse, and his family—originally from the island of Tongoa—have served in the clinic for 26 years. Santo bush clinic is the only facility that provides healthcare to people in the remote areas of Santo Island’s interior.
Santo bush clinic is so remote that the Church have found it difficult to find anyone to assist Mr George and his family.
“Despite all the challenges he is faced with everyday from serving in such a remote location, Mr George is truly a committed servant of Christ,” Pastor Mailalong said.
The land in question was gifted to the Church as a form of tithe by a local family of Paparama. It is up to Church leadership to decide how the land should best be used.
