Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
Nationality: | Nauruan |
Isabella Dageago | |
Term Start: | 25 August 2019 |
Honorific-Suffix: | MP |
Constituency Mp: | Yaren District |
Parliament: | Nauruan |
Predecessor: | Kieren Keke |
Isabella Dageago is a Nauruan nurse and politician who currently serves as the Minister Health and Home Affairs in the Parliament of Nauru.
Prior to entering politics, Dageago trained and qualified as a nurse.
In the 2019 Nauruan parliamentary election, Dageago was elected as one of two Members of Parliament for Yaren District, alongside incumbent Charmaine Scotty; she unseated former Minister of Foreign Affairs Kieren Keke.[1] Dageago ran as an independent. Dageago and Scotty were the only female MPs elected.[2]
In that election, President Baron Waqa lost his seat, and was succeeded by Lionel Aingimea. Aingimea named Dageago as a member of his Cabinet, giving her the portfolios for Health and Home Affairs.[3]
During Dageago's tenure as Minister Health, she has led Nauru's response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, including declaring a national emergency in March 2020.[4] In April 2021, Dageago personally issued the country's first vaccine to Aingimea; by May, she announced that the entire adult population of Nauru - accounting for 63% of the total population - had been vaccinated against coronavirus, and estimated second doses would be completed by July 2021 following a donation of 10, 000 vaccinations from the government of India.[5] [6] As of August 2021, no cases of coronavirus had been reported in Nauru.[7]
After President David Adeang was sworn in on 31 October 2023, Dageago took an oath of office for a deputy minister position.[8]