The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group is proud to report the successful conclusion of the Uto Bulabula – Healthy Hearts initiative, which provided life-saving cardiac surgeries to fifteen children from five Pacific countries; Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Tuvalu.

Under the theme "Community is what we create together," members of the Etu Pasifika clinics and the Pasifika Medical Association Group gathered for a meaningful talanoa on mental health over a shared breakfast early this morning. Led by psychiatrist and Etu Pasifika Ngalu Fānifo lead, Dr Staverton Kautoke, members shared profound personal experiences and insights, shedding light on a topic often shrouded in silence, in commemoration of Mental Health Awareness Week.

As the sun begins to set on the western side of Tongatapu, villages in the Hihifo district gather people together to meet at their local community halls and churches, trickling in with their children as the early August breeze slowly settles on their shores. The purpose of their fakataha (meeting)? To have an important talanoa (discussion) about mental health and wellbeing – mo'ui lelei faka'atamai – especially as a coastal district who were directly impacted by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption and tsunami in 2022.

The Pasifika Medical Association Medical Assistance Team (PACMAT) was privileged to witness the Singapore Emergency Medical Team (SGEMT) achieve verification as a World Health Organization (WHO) classified Type 1 Fixed Emergency Medical Team. 

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group remains deeply committed to empowering the health aspirations of our regional partners. This commitment was seen with the recent deployment of an adult cardiology visiting medical team to Samoa.

The Pasifika Medical Association Medical Assistance Team (PACMAT) have recently returned from their mission in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, where they supported the local health workforce for the 53rd annual Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) leaders' meeting, held on August 26th - 30th 2024.

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group reflects on the stories of families from the Pacific who traveled to Suva through the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme’s (NZMTS) innovative project, the Uto Bulabula – Healthy Hearts initiative, funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and coordinated by the PMA.

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group joins Aotearoa New Zealand in expressing their heartfelt condolences to the family of the Māori King, Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII, who peacefully passed away at the age of 69 last week. Thousands have gathered at Tūrangawaewae Marae to pay their respects to the Kīngitanga, including guests from around the Pacific region, remembering him for his legacy of social justice and advocacy.

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group has partnered with the Australian Government to deliver a three-year programme, the Ngalu Fānifo Regional Project, in Tonga and Vanuatu, aiming to improve mental health and wellbeing by strengthening the capacity of health and community providers to provide mental health care.

Three esteemed regional dentists from the Oral Health Pacific Islands Alliance, have achieved a remarkable milestone by being inducted as Fellows of the International College of Dentists (ICD). Through the support of the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), the three oral health specialists were able to attend and celebrate their ceremony, held at the Te Pae Convention Centre in Christchurch. 

At the request of the Tonga Government, the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group deployed the PMA Medical Assistance Team (PACMAT) last Friday to support the annual Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) leaders meeting, starting today in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, until August 30th 2024. The meeting has seen a significant influx of Pacific leaders gathered in the country's capital to discuss regional issues, solutions and other key items on the agenda.

The courage, the whispers, the drama. The year 2024 marks the 45th year since Miss Heilala was established. To each household, the legacy of the Miss Heilala pageant sits on a spectrum of excitement and enthusiasm to toxicity and disappointment. Yet, every year the Tongan community both local as well as amongst the diaspora tune in to watch as the contestants vie for the title of Miss Heilala.