Lord Viliami Tangi

Lord Tangi is currently the Chief Surgeon at the main hospital in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

He did his medical training in Fiji before completing his postgraduate training in surgery in New Zealand where he gained Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 1983. Since then, he has been working as a Specialist General Surgeon in Australia, New Zealand, Niue and Tonga.

In 1999, he was appointed Minister for Health, Tonga – a post he held for 11 years. During this time, he was appointed to the Executive Board of WHO 2004-2007, and also a member of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board. Under Lord Tangi’s leadership, Tonga became the first country in the Pacific to have her own National Strategy for Prevention and Control of NCDs in 2005. In relation to FCTC, Lord Tangi was instrumental in setting up the Tobacco Control Act for Tonga in 2000. He was awarded a medal for his works related to Tobacco Control by WHO. In 2007, Lord Tangi helped in set up a Health Promotion Foundation called TONGA HEALTH. This Foundation focuses on addressing the challenges facing Tonga with regards to the burden of NCDs.

Lord Tangi is a member of the Scientific and Technical Expert Group, advising the Public Health Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). He is also a member of the Global Health Committee of the RACS. Lord Tangi is currently a member of the Privy Council, advising King Tupou VI of Tonga.