Saia Ma u Piukala
Saia Ma’u Piukala took office as the World Health Organization Regional Director for the Western Pacific on 1 February 2024. A former member of Tonga’s parliament and health minister, he was
vice-chair of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific (2022–2023). From 2019 to 2022 he served on the WHO Executive Board, and was a commissioner for the WHO’s Independent High-Level Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases from 2018 to 2020. He was previously the medical superintendent of the main hospital in Tonga, and a senior medical officer and general surgeon in Tonga and other Pacific islands including Fiji, Nauru, Niue and Tuvalu.
