BASIC health services should continue to be easily accessible for all Tongans, believed a panel of candidates discussing health, although the issue of life style diseases such as diabetes was also raised as a concern.

Talking to the press on the topic of "Health" in a weekly Pre Election television and radio programme on November 3 were the Minister of Health Hon Dr Viliami Tangi a candidate in Tongatapu 2, Dr Taniela Palu (Tongatapu 1) and Sitiveni Takaetali Finau (Tongatapu 5).

The moderator Kalafi Moala, the Publisher of the Taimi 'o Tonga newspaper, asked the Minister of Health whether medical expenses would become more expensive in the new reform. He asked whether there was any plan by the Minister to ensure that people's good health was maintained.

Dr Tangi said that health is the essence of development in life and stressed the importance for people to gain access to health facilities and services.

He believed that the new government should continue to support the accessibility of all to basic health services and not to have anyone denied it because they could not afford it.

"In Tonga we are lucky that when we get sick we go to the hospital and see a doctor and he gives us medication and we leave it to government to finance everything. But there should never be any time where people who cannot afford health services are denied it because they cannot afford it," he said.

Essential services

Dr Taniela Palu running for Tongatapu 1, said a good government should never deny the sick access to medical treatment because they are poor.

"I believe it is the onus of this government and of the next to continue to provide essential services to the people, and never deny anyone of health services simply because their income could not afford it."

He said that some diseases were a direct result of being poor and pointed out to swampy areas around Sopu where is a difficult to live.

Lifestyle diseases

Sitiveni Takaetali Finau a candidate in Tongatapu 5 said Tongans needed to change their lifestyle especially those who rely on an imported diet such as fatty meat.

We needed to work towards cleaning up our environment.

He wanted to go to parliament to achieve six things, including fixing the roads and ensuring that there is more water for the population.

Sefita Ha'uli a Tongan journalist from New Zealand, asked the Minister if essential health services were lacking because Tonga did not have the funds to provide them.

The Minister answered one example was the screening of babies which needed trained staff and proper facilities.

He said Tonga had put aside 12 percent of its national budget for health and one important health service is vaccinating babies.
"We train our workers who then create a pool or network that does vaccination of every baby throughout Tonga."

The Minister said New Zealand spends around $2,000 per head of population in terms of health and Tonga spends 10 per cent of that per person on health.

He also pointed out non-communicable disease as the number one health problem in Tonga, by far, and the government must continue to invest in this area otherwise we would always have complications.

He noted there was a health promotion foundation that funded Tonga Health every year to promote a change in lifestyle for a better healthy life and the new government should continue this.

Laumanu Peleto said that non-communicable diseases resulted in most of the deaths, including diabetes and she asked if there was any policy to encourage healthier growing-up?

Taniela said there was a prevention program and unit goes out and teaches people on prevention in the community and in schools. But it was also hoped that the promotion of healthy living and eating was done at home.

<healthy life

Sitiveni said that a law would never force people to live a healthy life as it would be no different to the preacher preaching the commandments on Sunday and people breaking it.

"What is important is for parents to talk about it with their children on eating healthy. For me if I go to parliament I would support the Ministry of Health as the same time I would use my skills of working with the Rotary to seek contributions from elsewhere to help in terms of health like getting funds to buy vehicle," he said.

Reform

The Minister of Health commented that the reform would not bring anything new in regards to health. He stressed the importance for the new government to support the existing program in regards to tackling non-communicable diseases, because work was being done on that now.

He said what was important in health in Tonga was the development of trained human resources.

In Tonga there are around 60 doctors, a rise from the 38 doctors ten years ago.

"We also have the best average in trained nurses, which we have 300 trained nurses per 100,000 population whereas some Pacific islands have only 50 nurses for their general population," he said.

Candidates

Monalisa Palu then asked the Minister, why it was important for a doctor to be a candidate or a member of parliament.

The Minister said that having a doctor in parliament and in cabinet meant that when health policies were put through they were passed.

Taniela Palu agreed it was important for a doctor to be in parliament to assist government in areas of health.

The program "Meet the Press" continues every Wednesday until the elections and on November 10 will feature different candidates who will be asked questions on the topic of the justice system.