April 26, 2024 (Apia, Samoa) – The USAPIs were ably represented by American Samoa, CNMI, and Palau at the recent 15th Pacific Heads of Health Meeting held in Apia, Samoa, from April 15-17, 2024.
Critical issues discussed included the continuing threat of NCDs and the need to ramp up regional and national commitments to addressing NCDs beyond the current status quo; digital health expansion; workforce development, training, and ‘brain sharing’; nursing retention and recruitment; eye health; cervical cancer elimination; roll-out of the newly established Pacific Vector Network, a new component of the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network; digging deeper into OneHealth and the nexus between human and animal health; climate change and health; supply chain management; maternal, sexual, and reproduction health, including concerning trends for HIV and STIs across the Pacific; strengthening biomedical engineering and waste management capacities; health financing and insurance schemes; and review of the current International Health Regulations (IHR) negotiations and regional architecture and governance of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat 2050 Strategy for the Pacific Blue Continent.
PIHOA Secretariat Executive Director Emi Chutaro; Deputy Director of Programs and Operations Janet Camacho; Regional Medical Entomologist Dr. Limb Hapairai; and Regional NCD Surveillance Officer Rasmi Davu attended the meeting to support the USAPI delegates and continue coordination of regional partner efforts in support of USAPI health priorities.
Learn more about the PHOH meeting here!
