Dr. Sarah Naupa

Dr. Sarah Naupa is an obstetrician-gynecologist at Vila Central Hospital — Vanuatu's main referral hospital in Port Vila, the capital of the Melanesian island nation. With over 11 years of clinical experience in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Naupa provides essential maternal and reproductive health services for Vanuatu's population of approximately 320,000 spread across more than 80 islands. Maternal mortality reduction and safe motherhood are critical public health priorities in Vanuatu, and as one of the few trained OB/GYN specialists in the country, Dr. Naupa's role carries significant national importance. She manages all aspects of obstetric care at Vila Central Hospital including normal and complicated deliveries, emergency obstetric interventions for severe postpartum hemorrhage, obstructed labor, and eclampsia, as well as gynecological services including infection management, contraception, and basic gynecological surgery. She collaborates with international health teams from Australia, France, and New Zealand who support Vanuatu's healthcare system.

Dr. Naupa completed her medical training at the Fiji School of Medicine — the Pacific region's primary medical education institution, which trains physicians from Vanuatu and other Pacific Island nations under bilateral education agreements. After earning her MBBS, she completed a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology through the Pacific regional training programme, which incorporates supervised clinical training in antenatal care, labor management, cesarean section, and gynecological procedures at Pacific Island hospitals with additional rotations at Fijian referral hospitals. She also completed a Certificate in Emergency Obstetric Care through the WHO Pacific programme — a critical qualification in a Pacific Island context where emergency obstetric capabilities must be available 24 hours in the absence of specialist backup. Vanuatu's unique bilingual English-French environment is reflected in her trilingual capability in Bislama (Vanuatu's creole national language), English, and French.

Dr. Naupa's OB/GYN practice is shaped by Vanuatu's maternal health priorities. Safe motherhood and reduction of maternal mortality are her core clinical commitments, encompassing high-quality antenatal care with early identification of risk factors, skilled attendance at all deliveries, and emergency management of the major obstetric emergencies — hemorrhage, eclampsia, obstructed labor, and sepsis. She performs cesarean sections for obstetric indications and manages complicated vaginal deliveries. Gynecological infection management is important given the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) in Vanuatu's population, which require timely treatment to prevent complications including pelvic inflammatory disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Family planning — including counselling on contraceptive methods appropriate for Pacific Island women, including long-acting reversible contraception — is a priority given Vanuatu's relatively high fertility rate. She also provides cervical cancer screening through VIA (visual inspection with acetic acid) in settings where Pap smears may not be routinely available.

Vila Central Hospital is the primary hospital in Vanuatu and serves all patients including the significant expatriate community, tourists, and international aid workers in Port Vila. For obstetric or gynecological emergencies during a visit to Vanuatu, Vila Central Hospital is the appropriate first point of contact. For non-emergency gynecological consultations, the hospital's outpatient department can arrange appointments. Complex gynecological or obstetric cases beyond local capacity — including cases requiring advanced intervention not available in Vanuatu — may be medically evacuated to Sydney, Australia, or Auckland, New Zealand, through Vanuatu's medical evacuation agreements with these countries. Port Vila is accessible by air from Brisbane, Sydney, Noumea, and Nadi. Dr. Naupa consults in English, French, and Bislama.

Dr. Naupa has been recognized by the Vanuatu Ministry of Health and WHO Pacific for her contribution to maternal health service delivery and safe motherhood programs in Port Vila. As one of a small number of trained OB/GYN specialists in Vanuatu, her sustained clinical practice at the national referral hospital represents an essential contribution to the country's healthcare system. She has participated in WHO and UNFPA Pacific regional maternal health capacity-building workshops and has been involved in training Vanuatu's midwifery workforce in emergency obstetric skills. Her trilingual capability in Bislama, English, and French reflects the unique cultural and linguistic dimensions of healthcare provision in Vanuatu.