Australia is partnering with the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) to deliver Ngalu Fānifo, a culturally driven pilot program designed to build capacity and capability of Pacific practitioners and communities in Tonga and Vanuatu, strengthen services across community, primary care and hospital settings, and support families to manage their own mental wellbeing.
Pasifika Medical Association will use Pacific Talanoa methodologies to co-design culturally-anchored models of care with pilot communities and clinical stakeholders. New models of care will better connect primary care, hospital practitioners and community providers, enabling them to better support individuals and families experiencing psychosocial stress and empower them to effectively care for their own mental wellbeing. Pasifika Medical Association will also facilitate the development and delivery of training, using culturally-safe tools and interventions, to promote community and clinical leadership and ownership of community mental wellbeing. Training will involve the use of culturally appropriate tools and interventions. Alongside pilot implementation, Pasifika Medical Association will develop national workforce and implementation plans to support Tonga and Vanuatu to roll-out the models of care nationally.
