Mosese Raqio 
[File Photo]
When frontline nurses travel across islands, settlements, and remote villages, they often carry notebooks filled with hand-written records, the only proof of a child’s vaccinations or a mother’s antenatal care.
This week, health workers from across the region came together in Suva to change that, as Assistant Minister for Health and Medical Services, Penioni Ravunawa, opened the Regional Master Training-of-Trainers workshop on the Immunisation Information System and Master Patient Index, tools designed to ensure every mother and child is digitally recognised, no matter where they live.
Ravunawa spoke about the families who depend on consistent and safe health care, saying many Pacific mothers still walk long distances or travel by boat to clinics, only to find their records incomplete.
Assistant Minister for Health and Medical Services, Penioni Ravunawa.
He says stronger digital systems will help close these gaps and allow health workers to follow a child’s health journey from birth.
Participants from Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, UNICEF Pacific and technical partners will undergo a week of intensive training to build a team of master trainers who will later work with nurses and community health workers across the region.
Ravunawa says trusted, person-level data is not just about numbers, it is about making sure no child is forgotten, no mother is left behind, and no community is underserved.
He acknowledged the commitment shown by Pacific health teams who continue to deliver care in challenging conditions, and said the training reflects shared values of equity, trust and long-term sustainability.
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