The Samoan government is worried about the increasing number of young people needing urgent overseas treatment for non-communicable diseases.
Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said Cabinet had approved 13 requests in one week this month for financial assistance under the government's Overseas Medical Scheme (OMS).
She said her government is worried about its affordability.
Fiame told local media Cabinet has asked the Minister of Health and his ministry to look at ways to reduce these costs.
"The Government allocates funding each financial year for this scheme but there seems to be an increase in the number of patients and the money allocated isn't enough for these requests," she said.
A hospital in Apia. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Jenny Meyer
In March, the Government approved an additional $5 million tālā for the continuation of the OMS for the remaining months of this fiscal year.
This is in addition to an increase to the scheme of $6 million tālā in November last year.
Fiamē added that there is an offer from a medical institution in Fiji to take patients from Samoa at a much cheaper cost.
However, she added that there are also programmes - in partnerships with other countries - that bring in medical experts to do the operations and offer specialist treatment in the country.
"We can only advise all of us to look at changing lifestyles including dietary changes and find alternatives if we are to see a downward trajectory in the prevalence of NCDs in Samoa and move towards a healthier pathway, particularly for our youth," she said.
