An ava ceremony at the Tuiolemotu Guesthouse in Malaeloa this morning will welcome more than 50 off-island delegates attending the Pacific Islands Tuberculosis Controllers Association Conference, which the Department of Health is hosting this week.
Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Pacific Islands Health Officers Association (PIHOA), the conference will have delegates from the six jurisdiction under PIHOA: Palau, Guam, Ponape, Marshall Islands , Northern Marianas and American Samoa.
There are also officials from CDC, and World Health Organization attending.
Director of Health Motusa Tuileama Nua says this is the first time American Samoa is hosting the PICTA Conference, which is held annually.
After the ava ceremony, delegates will tour community health centers at Leone, Amouli, Tafuna and also visit the LBJ Hospital.
The official opening is tomorrow at the Fatuoaiga Auditorium and Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga, who returned last night, is on the program to give the keynote address.
The off island delegates are staying at Tradewinds Hotel and Sadie’s by the Sea, and the conference, which ends Friday with a post-conference training set for Monday, is being held at the Fatuoaiga Pastoral and Cultural Center, as the Lee Auditorium is being renovated.
Photo: Department of Health
