First recipients of Tonga Health Dr Tapa Scholarships announced [1]
Saturday, January 14, 2012 - 15:51. Updated on Friday, May 2, 2014 - 15:10.
The first two recipients of the Tonga Health Dr Tapa Scholarship Awards were announced on January 12.
Potesia Cocker (23) will study for a Bachelor of Public Health, and Meleane Vainikolo (25) will pursue a Diploma in Public Health at the Fiji National University College of Medicine in Suva, Fiji, for two years.
Potesia from Vaini was the Dux of Beulah College in 2006 and has done the foundation level at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, and Meleane was a Tonga High School Form 7 graduate.
The Chairman of the Tonga Health Board of Directors, Rev. Semisi Fonua presented the award at the Tonga Medical Association.
'Iemaima Havea, the CEO for Tonga Health, said that the scholarships recipients were selected by the Tonga Health Board, after rigorously processing applications against criteria that included academic achievement, passion for promotion, disease prevention and community involvement.
She said that Dr Sione Tapa, a former Minister of Health donated to the Tonga Health Foundation over $1 million pa'anga to promote a healthier life style for Tonga. The Dr Tapa scholarship was advertised to be awarded in the field of public health.
Both scholarships awarded amounts to about $40,000 pa'anga.
Dr Sione Tapa, now 88 years old, lives at the village of Kolonga in eastern Tongatapu.