Tonga’s first woman Health Minister, Dr. ‘Amelia Tu’ipulotu has been appointed as the new Chief Nursing Officer for the World Health Organisation headquartered is in Geneva.

She will join in the first quarter of 2023, announced WHO on 13 December.

"As WHO’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dr Tu’ipulotu will champion, nurture and support nurses and midwives to ensure that their skills and experience are being well-utilized to strengthen health systems and to bolster their critical role in bringing patients, communities and national health systems closer together.”

In 2019, Dr Tu’ipulotu became Tonga’s first female Minister for Health, serving until December 2021. From 2014 to 2019, she was the Chief Nursing Officer at Vaiola Hospital.

In addition, she was the first Tongan to receive a Ph.D. in Nursing.

In 2019, Dr Tu'ipulotu was appointed Honorary Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. From May 2020 to December 2022, Dr Tu’ipulotu was a member of the WHO Executive Board; she was elected EB Rapporteur in 2020. 

At the same time, Dr Jeremy Farrar was appointed WHO's new Chief Scientist. He is currently the Director of the Wellcome Trust.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated his delight that Jeremy and ‘Amelia will join WHO at a critical time in global public health, when investment in both the health workforce and science is imperative to strengthening health systems and outbreak preparedness and prevention. 

“As Chief Scientist, Jeremy will accelerate our efforts to ensure WHO, its Member States and our partners benefit from cutting-edge, life-saving science and innovations. As Chief Nursing officer, ‘Amelia will ignite the all-important need not only to fill the gap in health workers worldwide but also to ensure they receive the support they need and deserve,” he said.