A state-of-the-art funded hospital in Kiribati will provide better, safer facilities – especially for women and infants. Funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the new Betio Hospital will deliver improved health facilities and services for the 63,000 residents of South Tarawa with a focus on sexual and reproductive health. “The project will also tackle the urgent need for upskilling and training more nurses to work in primary health care, midwifery and obstetrics,” said ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office Regional Director, Aaron Batten. The hospital will be on higher ground and more inland to be climate-resilient and promote the long-term sustainability of its assets. Betio is 900 meters wide at its widest point and five meters above sea level. The upgraded hospital will provide services such as an emergency department, adult inpatient ward, outpatient department, operation theater, infection control and sexual and reproductive health support, medical imaging and radiology, dental and eye health services, and other clinical and non-clinical support services. The ADB will contribute $27 million to the project.