The opening ceremony of the 6th Meeting of Pacific Islands Chief Dental Officers held at the Pearl South Pacific Resort in Pacific Harbour.
The Fiji National University’s (FNU), College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) will continue to support the Oral Health Pacific Island Alliance (OPIA) to work towards a healthier and more equitable population.
College Dean, Dr William May shared this during the opening ceremony of the 6th Meeting of Pacific Islands Chief Dental Officers held at the Pearl South Pacific Resort in Pacific Harbour on July 17.
With almost 70 health professionals from the Pacific participating in the meeting, the event aims to address the challenges of oral health and improve service provisions and oral health care in our Pacific communities.
“With your expertise as Oral Health Professionals, oral disease and conditions have been classified amongst other non-communicable diseases as they share the common risk factors,” Dr William May said.
“This partnership will be fostered as it is also aligned with the Fiji National University Strategic Plan 2021 to 2026 Sphere 3 on our regional engagement and cooperation.”
“It also aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all, including oral health. Access to affordable and quality dental care is crucial to prevent oral diseases and improve overall health.”
Dr May further said that FNU was proud of its alumni and wished to strengthen and support the achievements of the meeting nationally or internationally.
“I am happy to see a lot of familiar faces whom we have crossed paths with at the medical school during your studies, either at Tamavua or in the corridors of CWMH,” he said.
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) Dean, Dr William May.
Chief Guest and World Health Organization (WHO) Team Coordinator Pacific Non-Communicable Diseases and Health through Life Course, Division of Pacific Technical Support, Dr Tomo Kanda stated that the meeting was timely for oral health leaders in Pacific.
“This is a great platform for Pacific countries to discuss how much progress we have made, and would give us great opportunities, not only to identify the challenge gaps but also come up with solutions,” she said.
“Oral health is a very close-cutting issue, I do not know how many people think about oral health, however, it is very amicable to our health.”
Participants at the opening ceremony of the 6th Meeting of Pacific Islands Chief Dental Officers held at the Pearl South Pacific in Pacific Harbour.
Dr Kanda said that the end of the four-day meeting would result in engaging discussions to compile a report of recommendations and solutions on how to better oral health in the Pacific.
The 6th Meeting of Pacific Islands Chief Dental Officers is currently being held at the Pearl resort in Pacific Harbour from July 17-20.
Pacific Community’s (SPC), Dr Silina Motofaga added that SPC looked forward to the progress of OPIA in the future. Dr Motufaga is a former graduate of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme from the former Fiji School of Medicine, now known as CMNHS.
“The Pacific Community has been instrumental in watching the journey of OPIA grow and has supported its growth from infancy until now, and we look forward to listening to all the discussions over the course of the next four days,” she said.
Participants at the meeting, and the Acting Director Majuro Clinic, Marshall Islands, Flora Nathan added that she looked forward to collaborating with the other participants during the four-day meeting to improve oral health.