The climate crisis is a health crisis

COP28 will include the first dedicated ‘Health Day’. It’s due recognition that a health crisis is inextricably linked to the climate crisis. In 2023, Canada endured its “worst wildfire season in

Read More

Guam has highest rates of lung cancer per capita in the world

Guam has the highest incidence of lung cancer per capita in the world and among the U.S. Asian Pacific islands, or USAPI. Why, is a question health providers who are part of the Pacific Island Partnership for Cancer

Read More

Reintroduce nutritious, healthy food culture: Fiji PM Rabuka

Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka believes population growth, climate change and dietary choices are factors that drive food insecurity. And the Prime Minister has urged the Ministry of Agriculture and other

Read More

Samoa Minister says no to ‘marijuana export’

Samoan Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries is opposed to any moves to promote the medicinal use of marijuana, saying it will not happen any time. The views of La’aulialemalietoa Polataivao Schmidt were sought on

Read More

Tonga’s Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala nominated to lead WHO Western Pacific Region

Tonga’s Minister for Health, Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala has been nominated as the next World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific. His candidacy was successful at the WHO Regional

Read More

Black mist across the desert

Yami Lester was ten years old when a British atomic weapon, codenamed Totem 1, was detonated at Emu Field on 15 October 1953. The isolated test site in the desert of South Australia was downwind from his home at

Read More

VegFest Pasifika comes to Samoa

VegFest Pasifika, a festival promoting local plant-based diets for health and environmental reasons, came to Samoa for the first time in June. The festival has been running in Fiji since 2018, with more than 55 events

Read More

WHO: Pacific islands facing a bumpy road toward the ‘Healthy Islands’ vision

Pacific island states and territories may have emerged from the worst days of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they must also brace for other disease outbreaks and climate-related disasters in the future, according to the

Read More

WHO Western Pacific candidates vow to rebuild staff trust

Candidates vying for the regional director position at the World Health Organisation Western Pacific regional office fielded member states’ questions in a unique online public forum meant to gauge their priorities and

Read More

Battling the stigma of mental health across the Pacific

Mental health remains a stigma in the Pacific, but there might be some good news out of the Cook Islands.  About 600 doctors, nurses and health professionals have made the trip across the region to attend the Pasifika

Read More

PNG Parliament Committee wants 40 doctors reinstated

A law passed by the Papua New Guinea Parliament to prevent public servants who contested general elections from re-entering the public service for five years is causing a severe shortage in a province’s health

Read More

Tonga and Solomon Islands make bid for WHO Regional Director post

Tonga and Solomon Islands have nominated medical experts for the position of World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific. Tonga has nominated Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, and Solomon Islands has

Read More