Dr. Taake Ieremia

Dr. Taake Ieremia is a senior medical officer at Tungaru Central Hospital (TCH) in South Tarawa, Kiribati's national referral hospital and primary healthcare centre. With 10 years of experience, Dr. Ieremia is one of a very small group of physicians serving Kiribati's population of approximately 120,000 people spread across 33 atolls in the central Pacific.

Kiribati presents profound healthcare challenges: extreme geographic dispersion (the island chain spans 3.5 million square kilometres of ocean), vulnerability to climate change and sea level rise, and a health system with severely limited specialist resources. Dr. Ieremia's practice as a generalist physician encompasses the full range of conditions encountered in this setting — diabetes, tuberculosis, leprosy (still endemic in Kiribati), respiratory infections, anaemia, and obstetric care.

Dr. Ieremia is bilingual in English and Gilbertese (Te Kiribati), the indigenous language spoken across Kiribati's islands. His ability to communicate in Gilbertese is essential for providing effective primary care and health education to the majority of Kiribati's population.

Dr. Ieremia completed his MBBS at the Fiji School of Medicine in Suva, which is the primary medical training institution for Pacific island medical graduates. He holds a Diploma in Primary Health Care and is IMCI-certified, reflecting the focus of medical practice in Kiribati on comprehensive primary care delivery.

He has completed WHO training programmes in tuberculosis and leprosy management and participates in the Pacific Open Learning Health Net (POLHN) continuing medical education programme. He has undertaken a clinical attachment at Suva Private Hospital and Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Fiji, gaining additional experience in emergency and inpatient management.

Dr. Ieremia's clinical expertise reflects the principal health challenges of Kiribati. He manages type 2 diabetes and its complications — which are particularly prevalent due to dietary transition in atoll island settings — hypertension, and cardiovascular risk. He also manages tuberculosis and leprosy, both of which remain endemic in Kiribati and require specialised treatment protocols.

Dr. Ieremia provides comprehensive primary care including antenatal care and obstetric management, childhood immunisation, malnutrition assessment and management, and management of respiratory infections, anaemia, and lymphatic filariasis. In emergencies, he provides initial stabilisation and, when required, coordination for patient transfer to Fiji for specialist care.

Dr. Ieremia is dedicated to serving Kiribati's communities and improving health outcomes across one of the world's most geographically dispersed and climate-vulnerable nations. He has contributed to tuberculosis and leprosy surveillance reports through the Kiribati Ministry of Health and participates in the Pacific Leprosy Foundation's annual data collection.

He collaborates with the WHO Kiribati Country Office on communicable disease surveillance and with the Pacific Community (SPC) on NCD STEPS surveys. His clinical experience informs practice guideline adaptations for the Kiribati health system.

Tungaru Central Hospital serves as Kiribati's national referral centre and manages patients from across the atoll chain. Specialist care not available in Kiribati — including cardiac intervention, specialist surgery, oncology, and complex paediatric care — is provided in Fiji through the Kiribati government's medical referral programme. Some complex cases are also referred to Australia.

International visitors to Kiribati who need medical care should attend TCH's outpatient department. Given the extremely limited specialist resources available in Kiribati, comprehensive medical evacuation insurance is strongly recommended for all visitors.

Dr. Ieremia has been recognised by the Kiribati Ministry of Health for his clinical contributions at Tungaru Central Hospital and his work in outer island health service delivery. He received a Pacific Leprosy Foundation commendation for his contributions to leprosy surveillance and control in Kiribati.