Associate Minister of Health, Aupito William Sio is urging Pacific students studying health and disability-related courses to apply for a 2023 Pacific Health Scholarship.
The Pacific Health Scholarships for 2023 are now open for applications and will close on 3 February 2023.
“Pacific peoples have long been underserved by a health system that does not have a big enough Pacific workforce to support the work that needs to be done. Work that means better outcomes for our Pacific communities and families,” said Minister Sio.
“These scholarships acknowledge the critical role Pacific people play in our health workforce.
“We know through research that our Pacific communities respond positively to engaging with a health workforce who are recognisably Pacific and who understand them culturally. We need a workforce that understand their worldview and perspectives, who speak their languages and share their values.
“We saw many examples of this working well during COVID-19 with the hard work of our Pacific Health Providers partnering with communities.
“There is a lot to do to lift Pacific health workforce from its current state and the Pacific Health Scholarships are one of the many ways we must push to build our Pacific health workforce and help deliver health services that better meets the needs of our people,” he said.
Te Whatu Ora has funding of $1.5 million for next year’s scholarships to support Pacific students who are highly motivated in taking health and disability-related courses such as medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery, and allied health.
“For our Pacific communities to get better access to healthcare, we need more Pacific people involved in healthcare. Then we’ll be a far richer society for it. Pacific students who make the most of these scholarships on offer, will be making a difference,” the Minister said.
