Health Management Source of Hospital Kitchen Staff Walk-Out

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, Samoa – 17 October 2025 – The Management of the Ministry of Health has been identified as the reason why the Kitchen Staff at the National Hospital walked off their jobs yesterday morning to seek an audience with the Minister of Health, Va’aaoao Salumalo Alofipo.

As a result, breakfast for admitted patients at the Motootua National Hospital was delayed as private caterers were employed to provide three meals a day as the matter is being sorted.

The Minister of Heath told Talamua that he was unaware of the matter and only found out a little after 0900 yesterday that 12 kitchen staff including two dieticians were waiting outside his office.

The Acting Health Director General and a senior management official were also present at the meeting.

Asked what the meeting was about, Va’aaoao said the staff were disheartened because they have not received overtime for at least 14 weeks which is equivalent to 7 pay weeks.

The kitchen staff were promised and expected overtime to be paid yesterday, however, when they found out otherwise, they decided not to turn up at work but to approach the Minister.

The Minister of Health, Va’aaoao Salumalo Alofipo.

Kitchen staff earn about $8,000 tala a year or $150 a week and while they get their regular pay, the main issue was unpaid overtime for 14 weeks which should have been paid under the State of Emergency Budget now in place.

The Minister said that he has been told of a reshuffle within the Kitchen Staff under a new system hence the delay.

“If it was still under the old system, they would have gotten their overtime already,” said Va’aaoao.

He agrees with the staff given the time delay of 14 weeks but also said that the issue could have been resolved amicably to avoid what happened.

He said both sides were at fault.

The Minister pointed to the management for not acting earlier and for not notifying the Minister at an early opportunity instead of waiting for the inevitable to happen.

Breakfast for patients in Ward 8 was ready and served before 0800 after the staff gathered at the hallway for a short prayer service to bless and start the day.

Resorting to public action
However, delays seem a common issue with the Ministry’s management. A senior doctor, Ulugia Dr. Tito Kamu told the media that he had previously urged management to settle these payments, stressing that kitchen staff are paid very low rates.

“This is the only way these issues can be addressed—by bringing them to public attention,” Dr. Ulugia said.

A staff member confided with Talamua that their voices are not heard, and the management failed to deliver on their words that they will get their overtime pay which they expected on Wednesday this week.

Two weeks ago, the same issue of Management’s failure to listen to some of the 22 divisions within the Ministry was raised by the Minister at his first meeting with the staff when he took office.

The kitchen staff raised the issue again yesterday and the Minister said, “it should not have happened.”

“The Ministry of Health is one body; the divisions may render different services but are all part of one ministry and they are servants to the public,” the Minister called on the whole Ministry to work together in providing the best service for the country.

Staff in morning prayer in the hallway to start the days work.

Ministry of Finance steps in
Straight after the Cabinet Development Committee meeting yesterday, Va’aaoao approached the Minister of Finance Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molio’o for assistance.

An emergency meeting between Va’aaoao, Mulipola and MOF where he requested overtime payout as soon as possible.

He has been given the guarantee that the outstanding overtime will be paid in the next pay week.

The Minister of Finance, Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioo emphasized that money is not the problem but the delay in submitting required documentation to process payments. This is the work that falls with Ministry of Health’s Finance and Management.

The Public Service Commission was also called in today to look at the issue so as not only to improve service for the affected staff, but to make sure there is no disruption to health service delivery to the public.