Dr. Mareta Jacob

• General Practitioner, Rarotonga Medical Centre (current)

• Former Medical Officer (outpatient & emergency medicine, Cook Islands)

• Leadership in establishing community-based primary care, collaboration with NZ’s rural medicine programs

• Supervises and mentors the next generation of Cook Islands GPs

• Published contributor on rural medical education, community health capacity, and Pacific Island health workforce development

• First recipient of the Cook Islands Fellowship in General Practice

• Honored for advancing local healthcare self-sufficiency, bridging Pacific and New Zealand clinical best practices, and pioneering family medicine training

Dr. Mareta Jacob is a leading general practitioner at Rarotonga Medical Centre, at the forefront of transforming island healthcare. Having trained at Fiji School of Medicine and completed further rural health education in partnership with New Zealand’s University of Otago and RNZCGP, she became the first Cook Islander to attain Fellowship in General Practice. Her vision and leadership have helped establish sustainable, community-centered medical practice in Rarotonga and the outer islands. Dr. Jacob serves her community with compassion, deep local knowledge, and a dedication to developing the next generation of Pacific GPs.