Members of the public can now add the Health Specialist Center at Moto'otua to their list of go to places when in need of x-ray services, after they unveiled their new machine.

The opening of such a crucial service by the Health Specialist Trust on Tuesday evening also adds to the number of services provided and made available at the health centre to the public.

The unveiling of the new service was led with a small prayer led by Reverend Ma'auga Motu, the Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Samoa (N.C.C.). 

The occasion was also a double celebration as the commissioning of the x-ray service coincided with the birthday of the health facility's founder, Aiono Professor Alec Ekeroma.

The launching was attended by senior clinicians, the former Head of State, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi and his wife Filifilia Efi as well as members of the diplomatic corps and families and friends of the Health Specialist Trust. 

The Chair of the Trust, Tuatagaloa Shane Wulf spoke on behalf of the Trustees, expressing how the new x-ray facility is such a critical part of their expanding services. 

Tuatagaloa said in January 2021 the Board discussed and agreed to commit their efforts to develop and provide various services made available at the centre for the people of Samoa. 

In order to achieve their goals, they engaged in various partnership with other international companies and other healthcare providers in the country,  ensuring that there were other options for the community to tap into when in need of healthcare services. 

In saying that, Tuatagaloa also confirmed that they are also offering sleep health services in partnership with the M.E.T.I. and other health care providers. 

Tuatagaloa said that in achieving their goal of expanding their services to the people of Samoa, they are committed to ensuring they get the right equipment and tools so they can operate as a health facility, providing and catering for the needs of the people of Samoa. 

Aiono, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the National University of Samoa (N.U.S.), spoke about the significance of having options and healthcare services for the people of the country. 

He also spoke of the challenges they continue to face in the health sector, which is the lack of capacity that continues to impact the profession, making it difficult to find recruits to join their team. 

There is also a great need to train more people to become healthcare providers, according to Aiono, so they can feed the workforce and assist them with the work in taking care of the people. 

The total cost of the new x-ray machine that was unveiled, said Aiono, is approximately WST$100,000. 

"We're always looking at extending our services to cater for the needs of our community and so after discussions with the Board, we agreed that we would proceed into acquiring this," he said. "So we had scan machines already, so why not x-ray machines."

They have also recruited a sonographer and radiologist from Fiji, Inise Karawa Sovanivalu, to operate and manage the new machines and provide the service to the public.