St John PNG has a long and proud history in Papua New Guinea, most notably for providing the State’s primary public emergency ambulance service, operating the 111 national ambulance control centre, emergency medical and rescue services and teaching first aid and emergency life support courses.

St John was first established in Papua New Guinea in 1957 by the New South Wales Branch of St John. When PNG became an independent state within the Commonwealth, the Parliament established St John as a statutory body through the St John Council Incorporation Act 1976.

In 1983 St John formally took over responsibility for providing the State’s ambulance services in the Southern region.

St John PNG is a part of the global Order of St John. The Order exists primarily to promote knowledge and skills in emergency care and to prevent and relieve sickness, suffering danger and distress. From the ancient Order’s Knights of St John, the Order maintained a tradition of charitable support for the ill and injured and in its modern form developed an interest in first aid through Britain’s industrial revolution.