The territory is mourning the passing of the longest serving doctor at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center, Dr. Iotamo Saleapaga. He died at Straub Hospital in Honolulu early yesterday morning. He was 80.
Dr. Saleapaga was American Samoa’s first U.S. certified doctor and has worked at LBJ for 54 years.
CEOs and doctors have come and gone, but “Tamo” as he was known to his colleagues, patients and friends, was always there.
He had an endearing relationship with his patients, most of whom were the elderly, who welcomed the early morning appointments to be seen by the long haired doctor. Some showed up as early as 4 a.m.
Dr. Saleapaga had a stroke in July and was an inpatient at the hospital he was so devoted to for about four weeks before he was medevac’d to Honolulu.
Born in Ofu, Manu’a, Dr. Saleapaga earned his Diploma in Medicine and Surgery from the Fiji School of Medicine in 1972.
After a brief stint at LBJ Hospital, he was accepted into the John Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii.
There, he earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1979. He is known as the first Samoan to successfully complete the U.S. medical degree program without first pursuing traditional pre medical college studies.
His post-graduate training continued with an internship in Internal Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine Louisiana and Residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Nevada-Reno and Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital.
He returned home in 1983 and has worked continuously since that time holding various positions, including being Medical Director/Chief Medical Officer for many years. The hospital recognized his 50 years of service in 2022 and credited hiss leadership for modernizing and integrating care delivery systems.
In 2014, he oversaw the merging of the Primary Care and Internal Medicine departments, to improve continuity of care between outpatient, inpatient and emergency services.
It was his personable manner, jovial spirit, and dedication to his profession that people will remember.
This morning the LBJ Hospital is paying tribute to him. There will be a moment of silence throughout all wards, clinics and divisions of the hospital and a photo collage of the good doctor will be displayed. Dr. Saleapaga is survived by four children and many grandchildren. To them, we offer our deepest sympathies.
