Update from Dr Api Talemaitoga

April 2011

Ni sa bula vinaka, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Taloha ni, Fakalofa lahi atu, Kia Orana, Talofa, Kia ora and Pacific greetings.

Since the tragic Christchurch earthquake in February, the lives of many of our Pacific peoples have been seriously disrupted. It has been humbling to see the leadership shown by our Pacific health providers and the Pacific health workers, both in Canterbury and nationally, who have come forward to assist in the relief effort post-earthquake. Many of these workers have been, or are currently, recipients of our Pacific Health Workforce Awards and leadership training programmes funded through the Ministry of Health's Serau – Pacific provider and workforce development fund. The availability of ethnic-specific advice and language-appropriate messages to the traumatised Pacific peoples of Christchurch gives our service a real point of difference.

We again have a new cohort of about 200 budding health professionals who have passed Le Va's rigorous process and qualified for a Pacific Health Workforce Award for the current academic year. This year the Ministry of Health plans to celebrate this achievement with these students at a Pacific awards dinner in Auckland on 6 May. We will be in contact with more details about the dinner soon. It should be an enjoyable evening to share with the students and their parents/family and to highlight some of the previous students who are now successfully employed in the health sector and giving back to their Pacific communities.

Over the next few months, Le Va will continue to work with the Ministry of Health and we look forward to setting new records. Stay warm over winter and if you are eligible, don't miss out on your influenza vaccination.

Vinaka vakalevu

Dr Api Talemaitoga
Clinical Director Pacific Health

Page last updated: 14 April 2011