Māori government welcomes health care reform as an important first step

Manukau Urban Māori Authority (MUMA) welcomes the government’s health reforms as an important first step in improving Māori and Pacific health in southern Auckland.

But some in the health sector say the jury is still out on what will be achieved in Manukau provinces.

Under the reforms, the country’s 20 district health councils have now been replaced by Te Whatu Ora (New Zealand Health).

The new Crown entity will be responsible for the management of hospitals, primary and community health services.

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The government says it will allow for more consistent delivery of health services nationwide and help prevent the zip code lottery that people face from gaining access to health care based on where they live.

The reforms also include the establishment of Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) to improve indigenous health that will work in partnership with Health NZ.

Bernie O’Donnell, chairwoman of MUMA, has seen the country’s district health councils work first-hand as a member of the now-defunct Auckland DHB.

He said the establishment of a Māori health authority would give Māori greater responsibility for the delivery of their own health services.

“For too long, the health care system has not paid attention to the well-being of Māori, or those at the bottom of the cliff,” O’Donnell said. “The reality is that we could not continue with what we had. Something had to be done and that is it. ”

He said critics of the health care reforms were defending a system that needed to be replaced.

“The old way in which the DHBs were managed did not work for our people. For too long, non-Māori have been telling us what is best for us. ”

He said ongoing issues left by the Counties Manukau DHB, such as Middlemore Hospital’s suppression emergency department and its workforce shortages will all have to be addressed under the changes.

“But what we expect is that the health of Māori and the Pacific in southern Auckland will improve under the reforms,” ​​O’Donnell said.

However, I have acknowledged that there is a lot at stake.

“If that did not happen, we would not have achieved anything significant,” he said. “But only time will tell.”

Yet not everyone is as sure as O’Donnell about what impact the changes will have.

Te Puea Winiata, CEO of Turuki Healthcare, said there were still many unanswered questions about the reforms.

Winiata said the creation of the new authority dedicated to indigenous health is an important first step.

But she said it was imperative that the new entity has the ability to make its own decisions and help support Māori self-determination.

“The resources of the Māori Health Authority are going to be critical to its success,” she said.

Winiata said she has worked in the health sector for the past 30 years and during that time saw a number of efforts by the government of the day to restructure the health system.

She said it was difficult to predict what impact the health reforms in South Auckland would have.

“But I think in 12 months we will be able to look at what changes have been made and see what has been achieved.”