The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) was recognised at the annual SunPix Awards for making an outstanding contribution to Pacific communities, especially their leadership during the peak of Covid-19 crisis.
PMA received the Pacific Service Excellence Award at an awards ceremony held at Eden Park last week.
The judges said PMA, which also includes the Whānau Ora commissioning agency, Pasifika Futures, stepped up during this challenging year and took a leadership role during the lockdown by providing accurate information, immediate support and direct community liaison for the Pacific community.
CEO, Debbie Sorensen, accepted the award and acknowledged the vision of the organisation’s founding members who established the PMA in 1996 and the commitment from its current executives, members and staff to realise this vision.
“The founding members had a vision to create a safe space for our health professionals, a place where we had fellowship, where we could talk about our challenges, where we belonged,” she said.
The PMA is a network of Pacific health professionals focusing on strengthening the Pacific health workforce and meeting the health needs of Pacific people.
“We have 3000 members across the region, and we are a community of people who serve. We are humbled to do our work and your acknowledgement honours us, but most of all, honours our parents, those who went before us and those who had the vision for a better life and a better community.”
Sorensen says the recognition is even more special because the PMA patron, the late Dr Joseph Williams MBChB, MPH, QSO, QSM, who passed away in September, is a former recipient of a SunPix award. She says the PMA will continue to provide high quality support.
“We are now a large organisation with several companies under our umbrella. We work right across the region and are privileged to deliver humanitarian support in partnership with Pacific countries when and where they need it.
We are part of a vibrant, diverse health network that makes a difference in our community.”
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Date: Monday 09 November 2020