- Hon Aupito William Sio
Associate Minister of Health, Aupito William Sio is calling on any Pacific students studying health or disability-related courses to apply for a Ministry of Health Pacific Health Scholarship.
The Ministry of Health has allocated $1.4 million for next year’s scholarships to support high-achieving Pacific students undertaking health and disability-related courses.
Since 2002, when the Pacific Health Scholarships programme started, the Ministry has awarded close to 2,000 scholarships to Pacific students studying in the areas of medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery, and allied health. The scholarships are an important opportunity to improve equity and access to health care for Pacific communities.
“Pacific communities prefer to work with Health Providers they trust and are Pacific. This has been evident through our Pacific workforce’s successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic across Aotearoa as well as the current vaccination roll out,” said Aupito William Sio.
“These scholarships acknowledge the critical role of our Pacific health workforce and provide a greater opportunity to grow this important workforce and contribute to better health outcomes for our Pacific communities.
“While the 2018 census counted 8.1 percent of New Zealand residents as being of Pacific origin, the health and disability workforce continues to be an area where Pacific people are underrepresented.
“Getting more Pacific people involved in healthcare is crucial to improve access to healthcare for all, especially for our Pacific communities. I hope that students can make the most of these scholarships on offer,” said Aupito William Sio.
