The Australian Government will partner with several Pacific island countries to boost capacity to collect and analyse health data, with the establishment of a Pacific Health Information Support Hub.

Announced by Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health- Emma McBride MP, at the Pacific Health Ministers’ Meeting in Tonga, the hub will be delivered by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and will support partner governments in the Pacific to build resilient and equitable health systems.

The programme is supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as part of the Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, which is investing $620 million over five years in high-quality health programmes across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

The AIHW is Australia’s government agency for information and statistics on Australia’s health and welfare, providing data to inform discussions and policy decisions on health, community services, and housing assistance, among others.