Tonga plans first dialysis centre with US foundation's assistance [1]
Saturday, October 22, 2022 - 11:54
By Lute Vaksiuola
Assessments have begun for the building of a dialysis centre in Nuku’alofa, with a ground breaking ceremony planned for the end of the year, the Prime Minister, Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, said on 20 October, in Nuku'alofa.
It will go hand in hand with education for Tongans on the importance of healthy diets, in an effort to combat the crippling effects of diabetes on the community.
The project is a major outcomes from recent meetings the Prime Minister attended recently in the United States.
The talks included the setting up of an Embassy of the United States of America in Tonga.
The PM said that after meetings with the Senior White House officials in Washington last month, the proposed Embassy was now top priority, with ongoing discussions on a Consular Service to cater for locals needing visas.
“A team was here in Tonga last month for assessment and we will work with them on their timeline", he told a press conference.
The PM also confirmed that, following meetings in Salt Lake City with a foundation, they planned have an operational Dialysis Centre by May 2023.
“The ground-breaking ceremony is planned for the end of this year and we are grateful that this important health service will be available for our locals who need it.
“Having said that, educating Tongans on diets will also be very important of efforts to combating diabetes” he said.
Discussions with the American President, Joe Biden and US Government, had focused on the new Embassy, climate change and the challenge of retaining carbon emissions at 1.5%.
They also talked about capacity building and opportunities for Tongans in the US, cyber and maritime security, especially in monitoring our ocean, and the increasing costs of living that is affecting everyone at this time.
US Tongans
The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation to Tongans in the US who welcomed him and his delegation.
“We wanted to meet Tongans in the US to convey to them our sincere appreciation for their continuing support to Tonga, especially after the volcanic eruption/tsunami.
“We also wanted to inform them of developments in Tonga and to find out if there are issues that we can assist with”.