5 August 2011, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) – Fifteen journalists have gathered in Tonga for training on how they can help support the fight against the increasing incidences of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Pacific.

The journalists are attending the Pacific NCD Forum media training organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The training precedes the Pacific NCD Forum, which will begin on Monday, 8 August.

Mary Rauto, a journalist with the Fiji Times, said the training was important.

‘Especially when NCD are known to have contributed to 82 percent of deaths in Fiji in 2002 and this data was derived from National NCD Strategic Plan Report,’ Ms Rauto said.

According to Ms Rauto, NCDs are a real threat in Fiji, and while efforts have been made to raise public awareness of this fact it still has not been fully embraced.

‘I think the challenge is to actually get the people – the general public – to talk and discuss NCDs and be encouraged to make it their business,’ she said.

However, journalists have expressed the need for governments to be more open and flexible when discussing NCDs in their countries.

Laoamoa Poasa of South Seas Broadcasting in American Samoa said she was excited to be part of the training and the forum.

‘NCDs are a major killer in American Samoa. Early this year in January and February there were a total of 42 deaths and 72 per cent were due to NCD complications,’ Ms Poasa said.

‘So I am interested in finding out about NCD programmes currently being implemented in other countries that can be mirrored back home,’ she said.

During the forum and training, the journalists will look at the latest data on NCDs, including information on prevention and control as well as some success stories and lessons that can be shared.