Scholarships for Pacific health students

Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says $1.19 million in scholarship funding this year will help 118 Pacific tertiary students studying for health-related qualifications.

The Aniva Scholarships, previously known as the Pacific Health Workforce Awards, have just been awarded for 2015.

“The aim of the Aniva Scholarships is to achieve greater participation and success of Pacific students to enter the health and disability workforce,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

The scholarships fund full tuition fees for high-achieving Pacific students in fulltime tertiary study which helps boost the quality of the health workforce.

Pacific peoples are under-represented in the workforce across the health sector.

Recipients are awarded based on their academic achievement, community involvement, leadership qualities and commitment to Pacific communities.

Priority is given to students studying medicine, nursing, midwifery, oral health and allied health.

Compared with the total New Zealand population, Pacific peoples have poorer health status in a number of areas including child and youth health, exposure to risk factors leading to poor health and non-communicable diseases.

The Aniva Scholarships are funded annually through the Pacific Provider Workforce Development Fund.

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