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Pacific Health

www.moh.govt.nz/pacifichealthfono

National Pacific Provider and Workforce Development Fono 2009
Liga Maopo (In Good Hands) - Better, Sooner, More Convenient Health Services for Pacific


Conference Deferred


Please note that the above conference has now been deferred due to the disaster in the Tongan & Samoan islands. See information from Dr Api Talemaitoga below:

Information from Dr Api Talemaitoga regarding the conference deferral


Ni sa bula vinaka

In view of the tragic disaster of the earthquakes and tsunami that have caused such devastation in Samoa and Tonga last week and the mobilisation of a significant number of our medical and nursing personnel, we have made the decision to defer the up-coming fono (ie Liga Maopo) 16/17th October at Waipuna Hotel, Auckland, to a later date. I ask for your understanding and urge you to continue to pray for our Tongan and Samoan families that have been tragically affected. We will be in touch when a new date has been set and apologise for any inconvenience this change may cause.

You may already be aware that many of our Pacific staff that work for our Pacific provider organisations and DHBs have either gone to Tonga and Samoa to assist with the disaster relief effort or are busy coordinating assistance that can be sent over to the families who are now faced with the task of having to re-build their lives. Health professionals wanting to volunteer should contact the emergency controller at their local DHB or phone 09 263 1381 or email incident.controller@middlemore.co.nz

In addition to our prayers and thoughts, there is a great need for donations. Please contribute through any of the organisations that have set up accounts to accept donations that could assist the relief effort.

Further information about donating or helping out can be found on the Ministry of Health's Samoan earthquake and tsunami page

Please also see email below from Dr Teuila Percival (Head of Pacific Health, University of Auckland) who was caught up in the tragedy on the day of her arrival in Samoa

Vinaka vaka levu

Dr Api Talemaitoga
Chief Advisor Pacific Health
Pacific Innovations
Sector Capability & Innovation Directorate

Email from Dr Teuila Percival, Head of Pacific Health, University of Auckland (4 Oct 2009)


Hi all,

I have been here helping with tsunami. We arrived for the Heart disease conference which is of course now cancelled. Ive helped in Ed and also Paeds as no paed here at the moment. Great Aussie disaster response med team arrived on the evening of the 2nd day with a much needed plastic and ortho docotr to relieve the poor Samoan surgeons working non-stop all night.

I think MOH (NZ) are now leading co-ordination of volunteers/NGO's as there are now a multitude...

The acute medical concerns are now reduced. Ongoing ortho/plastics needed and NZ and Aussie teams are handlng this.

Ongoing issues - still finding dead bodies, clean up, build. I have never seen so many dead bodies. And so many of my Tsunami child victims in the hospital have lost multiple family memeber. Some miracles though. 5 yr old found buried but alive 28 hrs post tsunami - now getting better in the ward but no home to go to and still haven't found his little brother. SO sad. But the people are so undemanding and brave!! I am SO impressed with the local Samoan doctors, they had teams out in the field within hours, manned the hospital plus medcen for acute victims for 48 hours. Really well organised and just got on with it. Very proud of them!

If you have families here - help them with resources, funding, building etc. Also please remember your Samoan colleagues here in your prayers.

They have been working so hard, including the Auck Med students and OUM students. Some have also lost relatives too.

DR Teuila Percival, MBChB, FRACP
Head of Pacific Health
School of Population Health
Faculty of Medical and Health Science
University of Auckland

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Page last updated: 22 October 2009


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