Good vision plays a vital role in how we live, work, and stay connected to the people and places that matter most. Samoan ophthalmologist Tofilau Dr Alistair Papali'i-Curtin shares why eye health deserves greater attention in our Pacific communities—especially during the high-UV summer months in Aotearoa.

Almost two weeks into the new year, we continue to highlight the importance of keeping healthy, both physically and mentally.

In Pacific communities, resilience is often worn as a badge of honour — a quiet expectation to keep showing up, giving more, and carrying on no matter the cost. But new research, led by Asetoa Sam Pilisi, suggests these expectations can also mask significant experiences of burnout among Pacific adults.

As we celebrate Solomon Islands Language Week, we are reminded that language is more than words — it is identity, history, and the heartbeat of our people. This year’s theme, “Protect our language and culture,” calls us to honour the voices that shaped us and ensure they continue into the future.

Strengthening country capacity has long been central to the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS), which has supported Pacific health systems for more than thirty years. This commitment continues today through the work of the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group — including in Tonga, where the investment is evident in the growing capability of the Emergency Department at Vaiola Hospital

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) proudly congratulates PMA President, Dr Kiki Maoate ONZM FRACS, PMA Board Director, Sir Collin Tukuitonga KNZM, and PMA founding member, Dame Teuila Percival DNZM, on their appointment as Fellows of the Pacific Academy of Sciences (PAS).

After a seven-year hiatus, the Pacific Islands Surgeons Association (PISA) reunited in Suva recently for the ECO Care Equity in the Asia-Pacific Conference, marking a significant moment for the region’s surgical community and its shared commitment to strengthening surgical care across the Pacific.

The latest Uto Bulabula – Healthy Hearts initiative has successfully concluded, with all of the thirteen young patients from the Pacific region and Fiji returned home following their successful operations and discharge from the programme. Since its inception last year, the Uto Bulabula – Healthy Hearts initiative has grown from serving children from Samoa, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Fiji and Tuvalu, to now also include Tonga and the Solomon Islands. Through this shared commitment, dozens of young patients have been given access to specialist cardiac care that would otherwise be out of reach, with their families receiving wraparound support throughout the process.

Samoan Emergency Registrar, Dr Sebastian Paulo, recently attended the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) Conference 2025, an experience made possible through the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS) under its Strengthening Country Capacity component.

Fakaalofa lahi atu! I have whakapapa to Ngāti Kuri, Te Hikutū, Ngāpuhi, and the Niuean villages of Toi and Mutalau.

The Pasifika Medical Association Group (PMA) congratulates long-standing PMA Life Member, Dr Paula Vivili, on his appointment as the incoming Director-General of the Pacific Community (SPC), the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region.

A recent visit by an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery team led by Dr Christian Freudlsperger, and Prosthetics Visiting Medical Team, led by New Zealand-based maxillofacial prosthetist Mr Mike Williams, marked a significant milestone for Fiji’s healthcare services. Supported by the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group through the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS), the visit brought international expertise to Fiji’s hospitals, whilst building lasting skills among local clinicians and technicians.