Pacific news in brief for 11 August
Photo:
Tonga Ministry of Health
Tonga - dengue
A study on dengue in Tonga has found inconsistent prevention practices and misconceptions about the transmitting of the disease.
The "dengue knowledge, attitudes, and practices" study was launched at the House of Tonga in Nuku'alofa last week.
It showed 94 percent of Tongans are aware of dengue, and 81 percent know Aedes mosquitoes are the cause.
Ministry of Health CEO Dr Reynold Ofanoa shared a plan including household visits, village cleanups, and stronger local engagement.
Papua New Guinea - incident
The member of parliament for Lae in Papua New Guinea has praised a community for not retaliating after a violent incident.
The
Post-Courier
reports the violence began with a robbery and escalated into a confrontation between two communities, leaving four dead.
John Rosso, who is also deputy prime minister, described the incident as a "barbaric behaviour".
Rosso said he does not know who is right or wrong, and urged the public to trust the justice system.
Vanuatu - stunting
A Vanuatu health officer has been researching stunting - which includes impaired growth and development - in children in the country.
Ratu Bani said stunting can affect a child's entire life.
The
Vanuatu Daily Post
reports his study listens directly to healthcare workers in the capital to learn what they see as the causes, challenges, and possible ways forward.
He plans to share his findings with the Ministry of Health to help inform better approaches to reducing stunting and improving outcomes for children.
Vanuatu - whooping cough
After more than a week of suspected whooping cough cases on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, the Ministry and Department of Health have yet to confirm whether the cases are positive.
A report from the Department yesterday says there is a shortage of tubes needed to store collected samples and send them for testing in Australia, Fiji, or New Caledonia.
The Department says it is still waiting for confirmation of the first samples sent to Australia.
A reliable source from Tanna told the
Vanuatu daily Post
at this stage, no further samples can be collected due to the shortage of tubes.
Guam - salvage
Salvage crews will be working in Guam later this year to retrieve abandoned and derelict vessels.
Guam is among the eight US jurisdictions prioritized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the NOAA, under a four-year marine debris removal program.
The
Pacific Island Times
reported that the Boat-US Foundation announced the NOAA's four-year grant to fund debris removal and education efforts, in communities heavily impacted by underwater wreckage that poses pollution hazards.
In 2021, the Navy removed submerged wreckage from the Guam Harbor of Refuge in response to the local government's request.
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RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Faster healthcare not the same as 'equitable care' - Auditor-General's report
The issue is that not everyone could be outsourced to private facilities, says the Auditor-General's report. File photo. Photo: 123rf Health NZ needs to explain how the sickest patients will not be left behind in the push to outsource more surgeries to private hospitals, says the government watchdog. At Parliament's health select committee today, the Auditor-General's office tabled its report on equitable access to planned care. Principal auditor Richard Towers told MPs the problem was that not everyone could be outsourced to private facilities - some patients had too many other health problems or "co-morbidities", which meant they were stuck waiting in the public system. "It's not spread evenly across the population. "So Māori and Pacific people in particular, they are they known to have more co-morbidities, which is a risk because if it's not managed and monitored, then you have a population which is disproportionately waiting for care in the public system." National MP Sam Uffindell, who chairs the committee, questioned why that would lead to greater inequity. "Is that taking more pressure off the public system? Why isn't everyone sitting in those waiting lists for shorter periods of time because you've taken people off the list?" Towers said while taking some people off the list could potentially bring down wait times for everyone eventually, some straight-forward patients could leapfrog over others who had waited longer. Furthermore, the ongoing pressure from urgent cases would continue to squeeze those complex patients down the priority list. "There's a risk that they continue to sit on those wait lists because there's no additional capacity in the public system. So there need to be plans around that - what do you do for those people? It's not whether you outsource or not." Assistant Auditor-General Leeanne McAviney said faster care was not the same as "equitable care". "You can end up with a situation where there can be improvements to speed but also exacerbate inequities. All we're saying is there is a risk of that. "Given that Health NZ has obligations under the Act, it needs to monitor speed so it doesn't exacerbate inequities. "Timeliness is a good thing - but need to think about those things [equity] together." It was for Health NZ to explain what it was doing to respond to the Auditor-General's recommendations, she said. Labour MP Ingrid Leary said it was worrying that Health NZ did not have a clear plan to mitigate the risk, nor was it possible to say how big the risk actually was. "If we can't even see what the level of risk is that suggests to me that it's not being taken seriously." Auditor-General's recommendations for Health NZ Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Samoan women seek life-changing weight loss surgery in Turkey
By Khalia Strong , PMN Lemau Timu (left) and Sarah Bennett decided to pursue weight loss surgery options abroad. Photo: PMN / Supplied Two Samoan women chose to fly to Turkey for bariatric surgery instead of seeking local options for weight loss. Since undergoing the procedure in November 2024, Sarah Bennett has lost 40 kilograms and believes the results speak for themselves. "Everything's different. Because of the rapid weight loss, I feel a lot more confident and my body is feeling healthier," she tells PMN . Before the surgery, Bennett faced multiple health issues, including sleep apnoea, high blood pressure, and pre-diabetes, all of which have improved. "I had my GP follow-up last week, who confirmed there is no high blood pressure. I'm no longer on my CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine, I don't see my cardiologist anymore, and those things have resolved themselves." Bennett, who lives in Queensland, looked into weight-loss surgery in Australia but was quoted over $22,000 for a same-day operation. "I just couldn't fathom spending that amount of money for one day, not even overnight, when I could pay half the price, go overseas with my husband and our baby at the time, and get a little holiday out of it." Bariatric surgery options include a gastric sleeve, which removes part of the stomach to limit food intake, or gastric bypass surgery, which reroutes the digestive tract. Bennett now works as a tour manager for Arrianna's Assisted Journeys (AAJ), helping clients travel overseas for weight loss procedures. "It just really touches something in my heart, getting our Polynesians over there and seeing their health improve … I want fewer declines in health." Sarah Bennett underwent bariatric surgery in Turkey in Nov 2024. Photo: PMN / Supplied For Auckland-based Lemau Timu, the decision was personal. She has battled weight issues since childhood. "I've always struggled with my weight. Even going to school, I had to go to those special places to get my uniform done, and it was so embarrassing." The 31-year-old hopes to one day sit comfortably on an aeroplane and enjoy theme park rides during a planned trip to the Gold Coast. Most importantly, Timu wants to start a family. "My partner and I have been trying for a few years, and I said, 'I think it's my weight, honey,' and he said, 'Okay, if you really want the surgery, then go for it'." Just three weeks after her surgery, Timu has already lost 15kg and noticed improvements in her breathing and energy levels. "Before the surgery, when I was walking to my mailbox and back, I was wheezing hardout. Now, I'm not wheezy at all. I can control my breathing." She remains in contact with others who travelled with her for surgery and was impressed by the high level of medical care she received, spending three nights in the hospital followed by three nights in a hotel. "The hospitals don't even look like the hospitals here in New Zealand where they have white walls. They're really modern and feel like you're in a hotel, and the showers are nice and big." Timu also considered local options but was not keen to join the public waiting list and couldn't afford private surgery, even with the option of using her KiwiSaver funds. Lemau Timu with her surgeon (left) before surgery in July 2025. Photo: PMN / Supplied Dr Tamasin Taylor, a Pacific research fellow at the University of Auckland, points out the concerning trends in Pacific communities regarding publicly-funded weight-loss surgery. "Seventy-three per cent of Pacific patients dropped out before the surgery, despite being eligible, compared to 39 per cent of NZ Europeans. For Pacific males, the dropout rate was around 87 per cent." Taylor's research identifies several barriers for Pacific patients, including long wait times, often more than a year, and requirements for multiple group sessions and appointments. "The sessions might be around school pick-up time, they're during the day, and for our Pacific people, who are more likely to be paid by the hour and not have sick leave or annual leave, that is a barrier. "Things such as parking, not showing up for appointments because you missed a call … And for Pacific males, it can be a real struggle getting to appointments if you're the person making the money for the family." Taylor says misconceptions within Pacific communities about weight-loss surgery, along with stigma, contribute to the dropout rates. "There were stories about people who had an auntie who did it, but next minute she'd put all the weight back on; that preparing for surgery is too expensive; also that it was a selfish and vain thing to do," she says. "So people would hide the fact that they were having surgery, they'd say they were getting something else done, and they wouldn't tell their family members. "There were examples of people telling their family on the day of surgery and their family racing in to beg them not to do it because it was 'so dangerous', but it's actually safer than having a knee operation." Bariatric surgery options. Photo: Image/Diego Sabogal via Countries like Thailand and India have long been recognised as hotspots for medical tourism, particularly for cosmetic and dental surgeries. Social media influencers, such as Nicola 'Nix' Adams, have popularised Turkey as another destination for health procedures, often at less than half the cost of those in local clinics. In 2023, a BBC investigation linked seven deaths of British residents to weight-loss surgeries performed overseas, raising alarms among medical professionals. Bennett, who accompanies tour groups to Turkey every eight weeks, says it's crucial to choose a reputable company for these procedures. "A lot of research has been put into finding the right hospital, finding the right surgeons, finding the right medical team. After completing her own weight loss surgery in Turkey, Sarah Bennett now supports others to do the same. Photo: PMN / Supplied "A lot of years have been put into where we are right now, and that just goes to show with the success stories we've had." The AAJ franchise has assisted almost 200 clients from New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, with packages starting from $10,000, not including flights. Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH), a private hospital in Fiji, is also seeking international patients. Chief executive Parvish Kumar told RNZ they could be a viable option for New Zealanders on waiting lists. "We do have the space and scope to do more. So I thought, 'Let me just extend this also to my fellow New Zealanders', maybe at the same time we could also give them about a week or two-week holiday in Fiji." Sarah Bennett is coming up to one year after surgery. Photo: PMN / Supplied Bennett dismisses the idea that surgery is "the easy way out". "You don't undergo an invasive surgery, experience all that pain, to take the easy way out … It's a tool that a lot of us need to live a healthier life and be able to lose the weight." Timu's advice for others stuck on public waiting lists is simple: "I've been spending a lot of time looking after everyone else except myself, and it's time to be selfish… Go on that 17-hour flight. It's worth it." -This article was first published by PMN .
Scoop
16 hours ago
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Canterbury Mental Health Review Released
A formal regulatory inspection of Canterbury-based mental health services has set out a series of recommended changes for Health New Zealand and is continuing checks over the next 12 months. Ministry of Health Director of Mental Health Dr John Crawshaw, who undertook the inspection under Section 99 of the Mental Health Act, acknowledges the tragic circumstances prompting this work. He expressed his deep sympathy for the family mourning the loss of Laisa Waka Tunidau who was murdered by a patient on community leave from Christchurch's Hillmorton hospital in June 2022. The Ministry's inspection began the following month in July 2022. Sadly, there was a second tragic incident in 2024 involving a patient under the care of mental health services at Hillmorton – underscoring the urgency of addressing underlying issues facing the Canterbury service. Dr Crawshaw says the circumstances of both incidents were separately investigated by Health NZ and are not directly covered by the Ministry's report, which looked more deeply into the underlying issues related to governance, the care model, and resourcing. He says the report recognised the difficulties for mental health services brought by COVID-19 during the pandemic on top of a legacy of events in the region that have stretched mental health services and exacerbated existing systemic issues, and the findings of the review should be seen in that light. Dr Crawshaw says the goal of mental health services is to support, care for, and treat individuals affected by serious mental illness to keep both them and the community safe. Where there are serious service failures, such as in this instance, the legislation provides significant investigative powers to find causes, make recommendations and then monitor progress. The report makes 18 recommendations covering governance, the care model, and resourcing. The overall theme of the report is the need for better cooperation between service leadership and service delivery to prioritise service, enable staff to do their best, improve the models of care, and planning. 'There have already been significant improvements made by Health New Zealand in many areas.' Dr Crawshaw notes that the use of leave plans and leave protocols have been assessed and updated following an independent review. Safeguards now include a detailed leave procedure, an updated safety and risk assessment framework for leave, an amended missing person policy, and a review of the electronic clinical record system. As of next week, for patients under the Mental Health Act who are cared for in Hillmorton's forensic services (but are not special patients), all leave requests, which follow a very robust, carefully considered process, will also require final review by the Director of Mental Health. This arrangement will be in place while the report's recommendations are being implemented. Dr Crawshaw says Health New Zealand's work in quality improvement and progressing the report's recommendations will be carefully monitored over the next 12 months. He says this will help provide the public with a stronger degree of assurance that underlying issues are being addressed and progress continues to be made.
