Amelia Afuhaamango Tuipulotu is a

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

n nurse and former Minister of Health. Tuipulotu trained as a nurse, and worked in Australia and Tonga. She received an Australian Development Scholarship to attend the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, and in 2012 became the first Tongan to receive a Nursing PhD. After graduation, she worked for Tonga's Ministry of Health, becoming Matron of the Nursing Department at Vaiola Hospital in Tonga. In October 2019 she was appointed Minister of Health in the cabinet of Pohiva Tuʻiʻonetoa. Tuipulotu was the only Minister from outside the

Legislative Assembly of Tonga The Legislative Assembly of Tonga () is the unicameral legislature of Tonga. History A Legislative Assembly providing for representation of nobles and commoners was established in 1862 by King George Tupou I. This body met every four years ...

. In May 2020 she was elected to a position of Rapporteur on the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

's executive board. In December 2021 newly-elected Prime Minister

Siaosi Sovaleni Siaosi ‘Ofakivahafolau Sovaleni (born 28 February 1970), styled Hon. Hu‘akavameiliku, is a Tongan politician who served as the prime minister of Tonga from 2021 until his resignation in 2024. He had previously served as a cabinet minister, a ...

replaced her as Minister of Health, reappointing her predecessor

Saia Piukala Saia Ma’u Piukala is a Tongan politician, surgeon, and former Cabinet Minister. Piukala was trained as a surgeon at the Fiji School of Medicine in Suva, Fiji. Before entering politics he worked as a surgeon for the Tongan Ministry of Health. ...

. In December 2022 she was appointed the WHO's Chief Nursing Officer.

Honours

;National honours * TON Order of the Crown of Tonga ribbon

Order of the Crown of Tonga The Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga (''Tongan language, Tongan: Fakalangilangi 'o Kalauni 'o Tonga'') is an Order (honour), Order of Merit awarded for exceptional services to Tonga and the Crown of Tonga. Currently, it is the highest honor that ...

, Member (6 July 2021).

References

Living people Ministers of health of Tonga Women government ministers of Tonga University of Sydney alumni 21st-century women politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Members of the Order of the Crown of Tonga {{Tonga-politician-stub