Cook Islands focuses on oral health, noncommunicable diseases and workforce at annual conference

The Cook Islands annual health conference opened yesterday with the new regional director of the World Health Organization in attendance, with discussions focusing on oral health, non-communicable diseases and strengthening the health workforce.

Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala, the first Pacific Islander to serve as Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), is the first of 23 people to attend the three-day^road
Cook Islands annual health conference opens.

Deputy Prime Minister Albert Nicholas, his cabinet, government officials and Cook Islands Department of Health Te Marae Ora staff welcomed Dr Piukala at an opening ceremony at the State Hall on Wednesday morning. The welcome included a pa’ata ceremony, a traditional honour bestowed upon visiting chiefs and leaders.

Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, the first Pacific Islander to serve as a World Health Organization (WHO) regional director, is carried on a pa’ata, a traditional honour bestowed upon visiting chiefs and leaders. TALAIA MIKA/24071016

In her opening remarks, Health Minister Rose Toki-Brown thanked Dr Piukala for attending the meeting.

“My good friend, the former Minister of Health of Tonga and the first Pacific Islander to be the Pacific Director of a Western Health Organisation, the people of the Cook Islands are very grateful to you. I want to thank our Kaumaitinui people for allowing us to observe the protocol that you have seen this morning,” Toki Brown said.

“It’s our way of paying respect and it’s a huge sense of pride for the Cook Islands people that for the first time in many years a Pacific Islander has taken on this important role in the Pacific.”

Toki-Brown also highlighted the theme of this year’s conference, “My Health, My Life,” as a way to emphasize to the younger generation attending the conference, encouraging them to heed the messages on healthy eating and smoking.

“This conference is very much about oral health. We all know that you are what you eat, so what you put in your mouth, it shows up in your body,” she said.

“So our mouth is the gateway to the overall health of the body. So my oral health and whatever you put in your mouth is reflected in your body.”

Toki-Brown also shared the Cook Islands’ goal of becoming a smoke-free nation within the next few years. She stressed that this move is for the next generation and stressed the importance of educating today’s parents about the effects of smoking.

Danniel Daniel Jr performed torou at the opening ceremony of the 23rd Annual Cook Islands Health Conference yesterday. TALAIA MIKA/24071017

The conference will focus on three main issues: Oral Health – Connecting Mouth to Body; Non-communicable Diseases – The Future of Health; and Workforce – Strengthening and Well-being.

In his speech, Dr. Piukala commended and congratulated the Ministry of Health for the newly enacted Public Health Bill 2024 and Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill 2024, which will ban e-cigarettes targeting children.

He added: “I am honoured to be participating in today’s important health conference which focuses on tackling oral health, non-communicable diseases and strengthening the health workforce.”

Dr Piukala is a politician, public health leader and surgeon who has worked in Tonga and the Pacific for nearly 30 years. He is a champion of multi-sectoral collaboration to address health threats posed by non-communicable diseases and climate change.

TMO is co-hosting the conference with the School of Dentistry and Oral Health at the Fiji National University Medical School, and is supported by WHO, UNICEF and Air Rarotonga.