Minister for Women, Community and Social Development – 2019 to 2021
Minister for Health – 2011 to 2019
In order for anyone to contribute to national or regional development plans, a thorough knowledge of the health sector and the demanding international regulations and goals is important. This knowledge then helps us to revise and review our policies in health at national and regional level commitments and Ireen’s input has been highly valuable as she understands health services from a whole of development perspective. She has an eye for detailed working and policy development knowledge of cross cutting themes, dovetailing approaches, instilling long term value-add, creating mutual benefits, enhancing regional capability and capacity of workforce within education and other sectors, and implementing programmes with clear thought of achieving long term positive outcomes.
The Samoa Institutional Linkage Programme (ILP) gained its strength when Ireen took over the design, implementation and stakeholder management of this bilateral programme. The capacity building elements of the Programme were further enhanced because of the strong clinical service strengthening component to strengthen the workforce capability and capacity. Ireen’s ability to understand the overall need of our complex and unique health sector and the population was crucial. This is evident in the sustainable long-term planning that she did in the areas of primary health care and adaptation of the Pen Fa’a model of care, intensive care unit, laboratory, mental health, antimicrobial resistance guideline, urology, child and maternal health, cardiac surgery, national nursing and midwifery speciality, evaluation of Samoa’s tertiary care referral scheme, eye care, radiology, palliative care, disaster risk reduction, and telehealth.
lreen took the lead in many of our national level plans within the ILP and this included the National Eye Care Plan, Development of the Intensive Care Unit and Mental Health Care Unit, National Antimicrobial Resistance Plan, National Resuscitation Plan, Urology Services, Child Health Workforce Plan and Telehealth. Her input was very valuable in our national health sector corporate plans and workforce plans.
Often at times lreen led many country level development programmes that were funded by donor agencies. She is well appreciated at the regional level of work too. We are often marvelled by her ability to balance the needs of donor agencies, institutions, agencies, and wider actors in development. Any policy is productive if it produces the intended outcomes and to manage this fragile act between many parties requires persistence, commitment and an in-depth country, regional and donor expertise that Ireen has.
