Dr Tuitama Leao Talalelei Tuitama is a

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

n politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of the Human Rights Protection Party.

Personal life

Tuitama trained as a medical doctor, working at Samoa National Referral Hospital and in private practice. He served as the president of Samoa's GP's association. He is married to Letelemalanuola Tuitama and is a member of the EFKS Church.

Political career

He was first elected to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

in the

2001 Samoan general election General elections were held in Samoa on 2 March 2001 to determine the composition of the 13th Parliament. Prime minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi led the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) into the election. Opposition leader and for ...

, representing the seat of Va'a-O-Fonoti. He was re-elected in 2006, but had to defend an electoral petition accusing him of corrupt practices. He was subsequently appointed Associate Minister of Health, a position he held from 2006 to 2010. At the 2011 election Tuitama shifted seat to A'ana Alofi No. 1, and after being elected was appointed Minister of Health. He was re-elected in the 2016 election, and retained his portfolio. As Health Minister he focused on

non-communicable disease A non-communicable disease (NCD) is a disease that is not transmissible directly from one person to another. NCDs include Parkinson's disease, autoimmune diseases, strokes, most heart diseases, most cancers, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, ...

s, and oversaw a merger of health agencies. In April 2019 he was replaced as Health Minister by Faimalotoa Kika Stowers in a cabinet reshuffle, taking up Stowers' portfolio of Women, Community and Social Development. In that role, he encouraged vaccination to combat the

2019 Samoa measles outbreak The 2019 Samoa measles outbreak began in September 2019. As of 6 January 2020, there were over 5,700 cases of measles and 83 deaths, out of a Samoan population of 200,874. Over three percent of the population were infected. The cause of the o ...

. In October 2020 he decided not to stand at the April 2021 election. In February 2021 he warned Samoa's village mayors that they must support the government or resign.

References

Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa Living people Health ministers of Samoa Human Rights Protection Party politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Samoan Congregationalists {{Samoa-politician-stub