Results for Health

Free medical services by Chinese medical teams are being provided in Nuku’alofa, under a two-year volunteer program that began last year. By Eleanor Gee

A container load of wheelchairs and walking aids has been gifted to Vaiola Hospital in time for Christmas. Elder ‘Aisake Tukuafu of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, handed over the equipment to Reynold ‘Ofanoa, the Deputy CEO Ministry of Health on 30 November.

This month 100 years ago, the Kingdom of Tonga was in a state of distress and alarm after a deadly influenza virus reached its shores, infecting most of the population and killing between 1,000 to 2,000 people (an estimated 4 – 8% of the population at the time) between November 1918 and January 1919. The mahaki faka‘auha - the disease that kills, brought Tonga to a standstill. By Eleanor Gee and Finau Fonua.

A donation of $13,650 pa'anga was handed over to the Tonga Breast Cancer Society on Friday, November 16 to further help breast cancer awareness in Tonga.

Radio Taiso, a popular Japanese radio exercise was introduced in Nuku'alofa last week by visiting "radio exercise" experts to promote healthy living.

Lack of knowledge about fertility has led to lots of teenage pregnancies, say the organisers of an "Adolescent Girls Sexual Awareness Program", which addresses that lack of awareness about changes in the human body. Over 100 adolescents girls in Tongatapu and 'Eua are taking part in the program that runs until December.

Over 20% of smokers in Tonga have shifted to consuming the local hand-rolled tobacco, tapaka Tonga, because it is not taxed and cheaper, following a tax increase on manufactured cigarettes, according to a new study by the World Bank.

Ambulances, vehicles and medical equipment worth $1.8m pa’anga was handed over to Tonga’s Ministry of Health by the Japanese Government on Wednesday, 15 August.

Six Tongans are undergoing pacemaker surgery at Vaiola Hospital for the first time, performed by a team of volunteer medical practitioners from New Zealand on 15-16 August, marking a historic moment for health in Tonga. By Eleanor Gee.