The Pasifika Medical Association's (PMA) Ngalu Fānifo team recently returned from a deployment to Tonga, continuing the long-term commitment to strengthening mental health services in Tonga. The Ngalu Fānifo program, delivered in partnership with the Australian Government, seeks to build sustainable, culturally anchored mental health services by supporting local health providers, community workers, and systems.

As New Zealand celebrates Tonga Language Week, a young doctor is making history as one of the first two Tongan women accepted into the highly competitive orthopaedic training programme. Past Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) scholarship recipient, Dr Supilate Mikaele, is a proud Tongan from the villages of Makave and Kameli in Vava’u with Ha‘ano and Lofanga roots in Ha‘apai, and says the milestone is a proud moment for her and her family.

The past six weeks have seen monumental efforts in facilitating paediatric cardiac surgeries of sixteen children from Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji and Kiribati, at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children's Hospital, in Fiji. These lifesaving operations come under the Uto Bulabula — Healthy Hearts initiative, a ground-breaking regional approach that commenced in 2024, providing Pacific children with a new chance at life.

Recipient of the 2024/2025 PMA Knowledge Hub Master’s Scholarship, Fetuoleaniva Hunkin, has completed her research exploring the wellbeing of Pacific fathers diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the impact on their families. Her study involved talanoa sessions with 10 Pacific fathers, five of whom were joined by family members.

The New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS) continues to support Samoa’s aspirations for strengthening its national laboratory services, particularly through workforce development. As part of the NZMTS Strengthening Country Capacity component, an initiative focused on building health workforce capability and resilience across the Pacific, two medical laboratory technicians from Samoa Laboratory Services, Etuini Nafoi and Folole Bartley, recently travelled to Wellington, New Zealand. There, they completed the Advanced Laboratory Quality Management training course delivered by the Pacific Pathology Training Centre (PPTC).

Former PMA Data Analyst, Aniva Bell, recently took part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA), an immersive, live-in programme designed to foster leadership, teamwork, and communication among emerging young professionals.

The Uto Bulabula - Healthy Hearts initiative will return for it’s second year to continue delivering life-saving cardiac surgeries to children across the Pacific, including, for the first time, patients from Tonga.

The Board and leadership team of the Pasifika Medical Association Group strongly and unequivocally refute any allegation of impropriety in our funding, employment, or procurement practices.

The Pasifika Medical Association's (PMA) Ngalu Fānifo Team has returned from their latest deployment, continuing their long-term commitment to strengthening mental healthcare in Vanuatu. The Ngalu Fānifo project is a partnership between PMA and the Australian Government and seeks to improve mental health services and community wellbeing by strengthening the capacity of local health providers, community workers, and systems to deliver culturally anchored, sustainable mental health care.

A vital step towards improving intensive care across the Pacific was taken in Samoa, where frontline healthcare workers took part in a high-impact training course aimed at enhancing their ability to respond to critical and acute care needs. Delivered under the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS), the two-day Basic Assessment and Support in Intensive Care (BASIC) course reflects NZMTS’ ongoing commitment to building health workforce capacity in the region through targeted training, clinical upskilling, and system strengthening.

PMA Group Board Director, Sir Collin Tukuitonga, delivered his inaugural professorial lecture as a Professor at the University of Auckland, marking a significant milestone in a career dedicated to advancing Pacific health. His appointment also places him as one of two of the world’s only Niuean professors.

The New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS) is dedicated to supporting champions for Pacific health - those who are committed to empowering vulnerable communities, including children and people living with disabilities, and upholding equal access to opportunities and resources.