The Ministry of Health has launched the Multi-Hazard Risk Communication and Community Engagement Strategy for 2024-2025 (MHRCCES), yesterday. The Strategy was unveiled yesterday in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region.
The Acting CEO of the Ministry, Dr. Sisilia Fusi Fifita, was the guest of honor at the event. Dr. Fifita emphasised that the strategy is designed to guide ministry staff in delivering timely and accurate information, engaging media partners, and empowering community leaders to better prepare for disasters.
“The aim is to ensure that the public receives reliable information about various hazards and to combat misinformation on social media and in communities,” Dr. Fifita said. She highlighted that the MHRCCES was developed in response to the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Fifita called on the public and attendees to collaborate with the ministry to achieve the Strategy’s objectives.
Supervising NCD Nurse Sister Seilini Soakai voiced concerns that misinformation had negatively impacted the uptake of the HPV vaccination for cervical cancer among young females. “Religious figures on Christian television opposed our vaccination efforts, which led to skepticism among the public,” she said. “Tonga once had a high vaccination uptake, but misinformation has affected this.”
Dr. Ofa Tukia, Head of the Health Promotion Unit, expressed confidence that the new MHRCCES will help rebuild trust in the Ministry of Health and its staff. “The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the difficulty of fighting misinformation on social media,” Dr. Tukia said.
Tonga is the first Pacific nation to develop this comprehensive risk communication strategy.
