Our work in Tonga
The WHO Representative Office in the South Pacific, located in Suva, Fiji, operates under the umbrella of the Western Pacific regional office, and our role is to act as a catalyst and advocate for action at all levels, from local to global, on health issues of public concern. We work together with a broad spectrum of partners from all sectors of society, WHO is involved in a host of closely related public health activities; including research, evaluation, awareness raising and resource mobilization.
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Pacific Islands–WHO multi-country cooperation strategy 2024–2029
The Pacific Islands–WHO Multi-country Cooperation Strategy 2024–2029, or MCCS, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) through a consultative process involving 21 Pacific Island countries and areas (PICs), outlines WHO’s comprehensive and tailored medium-term support plan in the Pacific. This summary provides an overview of the MCCS, highlighting its alignment with regional and global health strategies.
Health system and health situation
Tonga’s health system includes central hospitals, peripheral health centres and communitybased services. Key health challenges include rising rates of NCDs such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. Communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, STIs and VPDs persist. Tonga is also vulnerable to climate change impacts and natural disasters. The small population spread across islands strains health service capacity and workforce.
Priorities to address Tonga’s health needs include NCD prevention and control through lifestyle changes, improving sexual and reproductive health services, enhancing disease surveillance systems, resilient infrastructure development and decentralized service delivery with enabling patient referral. Reaching the unreached will be key to eliminating communicable diseases in Tonga. Leveraging strong local community leadership and social networks will help drive PHC access and health promotion to underserved populations. Partnerships, including development cooperation, provide avenues for health systems strengthening.
Publications
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Joint external evaluation of the International Health Regulations (2005) core capacities of Tonga
The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) team expresses its appreciation to Tonga for volunteering for a JEE using the third edition of the JEE tool. This revised...
The Pacific Islands–WHO Multi-country Cooperation Strategy 2024–2029, or MCCS, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) through a...
Fifteenth Pacific Health Ministers Meeting, Nuku’alofa, Tonga, 20-22 September 2023: meeting report
The Fifteenth Pacific Health Ministers Meeting brought together health leaders from across the Pacific, hosted by the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga...
Report of the Regional Director : the work of WHO in the Western Pacific Region, 1 July 2022 - 30 June...
Covering the period from July 2022 to June 2023, this Report highlights how WHO in the Western Pacific Region has worked to turn the hard lessons of the...
Report of the Regional Director : the work of WHO in the Western Pacific Region, 1 July 2021 - 30 June...
This report, covering the period from July 2021 to June 2022, highlights how WHO continued supporting countries and areas in the Western Pacific Region...
The Pacific Island Countries and Areas–WHO Cooperation Strategy 2018–2022 (the “Cooperation Strategy”) documents the medium-term...
All countries with a WHO office have a Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS). CCSs are flexible to align with the national health planning cycle (generally...
WHO Country Cooperation Strategy 2018-2022: Tonga
The Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) is WHO’s strategic framework to guide the Organization’s work in and with a country. It responds to...
Health information systems in the Pacific at a glance 2016
This report provides a 2016 snapshot of the status of national health information systems (HIS) in the Pacific. The Meeting on Strengthening Health Information...
