Oceania University Medicine's scholarship program is providing a pathway for aspiring Samoan doctors and will boost the capacity of the medical profession in Samoa.

Amid public concerns in recent weeks at the dwindling number of medical practitioners working in public hospitals in Samoa, Samoans who have dreamt of being doctors recently graduated from the O.U.M. as fully-fledged doctors or are in the process of getting their studies underway, thanks to the university's scholarship program.

According to the O.U.M. Communications Manager Rebecca Morris, in an email to the Samoa Observer, three Samoan scholarship recipients just graduated in May this year, four began their medical studies in January, and five more are starting their program next week. 

"The university is very proud of these current graduates and incoming students as they help to confirm one of our founding goals: the medical school was founded in Samoa to address its serious physician shortage, a situation which is today faced globally," Ms. Morris said.

In a background document provided to this newspaper on the recent graduating class of 2023, the successful scholarship recipients included Dr. Juliana Chewlit, Dr. Helena Taeu Masipau, and Dr. Uila Laifa-Lima.

Dr. Chewlit was born and raised in Samoa. Before O.U.M. she lived in New Zealand where she studied at the University of Auckland, graduating with a BS degree in Biomedical Science. She went directly into medical school after graduating and completed all of her clinical rotations at TTM Hospital. 

Also born and raised in Samoa, Dr. Masipau earned her nursing degree from the National University of Samoa (N.U.S.) and worked at the TTM Emergency Room for several years prior to enrolling in medical school at TTM — and she continued to work in the ER during her preclinical studies at O.U.M.

While Dr. Laifa-Lima earned her nursing degree from N.U.S. and worked at TTM. She and Helena are good friends and Uila was the first of the two to decide to apply to O.U.M. — Dr. Helena eventually applied along with her. She has been very active in student activities — she was an O.U.M. Student Ambassador and was instrumental in organising the Christmas fundraiser with O.U.M. students/faculty/staff to raise money to provide gifts to the children in TTM's Paediatric ward. 

In addition, to meet the academic requirements, scholarship applicants must: provide proof of Samoan citizenship (i.e. birth certificate, passport); be a full-time resident of Samoa for at least three (3) years prior to admission; or if overseas for an educational purpose during that time, proof that the applicant has been a permanent resident of Samoa for at least five (5) of the past ten (10) years prior to admission. 

After completing post-graduate training under the scholarship program, Samoan students are legally bound to work as medical doctors in Samoa for a period of at least five (5) years.