WHO names Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu as Chief Nursing Officer

Previously Minister for Health of the Kingdom of Tonga, and before that Tonga’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dr Tuipulotu will join WHO in the first quarter of 2023.

As WHO’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dr Tuipulotu will champion, nurture and support nurses and midwives to ensure that their skills and experience are being well-utilized to strengthen health systems and to bolster their critical role in bringing patients, communities and national health systems closer together.

In 2019 Dr Tuipulotu became the Kingdom of Tonga’s first female Minister for Health, serving until December 2021.

From 2014 to 2019, she served as Tonga’s Chief Nursing Officer.

Previously, she was Director of Nursing at Vaiola Hospital, the country’s main referral hospital.

She was the first Tongan to receive a Ph.D. in Nursing.

In 2019, she was appointed Honorary Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sydney.

From May 2020 to December 2022, Dr Tuipulotu was a member of the WHO Executive Board; she was elected EB Rapporteur in 2020.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “I am delighted that Amelia will join WHO at a critical time in global public health when investment in both the health workforce and science is imperative to strengthening health systems and outbreak preparedness and prevention.

As Chief Nursing officer, Amelia will ignite the all-important need not only to fill the gap in health workers worldwide but also to ensure they receive the support they need and deserve.” 

- WHO