Chris McKeen / Stuff
Student Dallin Lemusu encourages high school students from Pasifika to pursue careers in the medical field.
Third-year medical student Dallin Lemusu talks to Pasifika high school students about why he is so passionate about becoming a doctor.
“Some of them are even in year 13 and they still don’t know what to do after school,” said the 24-year-old.
“I’m just saying, ‘Man, you don’t want to waste any opportunities you’ve got in front of you.'”
Lemusu is involved in the University of Auckland’s Pacific Health Wayfinders program, which aims to increase the number of Pasifikas enrolled in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.
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Only 2.1% of doctors in Aotearoa have a Pacific background, despite making up more than 8% of the population.
Lemusu said improving representation could create a connection between the Pacific community and the medical field.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
Lemusu, along with team leader Natasha Pati, is involved in the Pacific Health Wayfinders program. The aim of the program is to increase the number of Pasifika doctors.
“A lot of my family is from the south and if they need help we go to Middlemore. I was there last night and it’s just a blockage, they even have patients in the hallway,” he said.
“You look around you. It’s mostly Pacific Islanders who are around there, but when you see the medical staff, they’re not Pacific Islanders.”
Lemusu’s desire to practice medicine was sparked by his mother’s cancer diagnosis in 2016.
“Just seeing how she was treated, the good and the bad side of the way she was treated in the medical world,” he said.
“Those things motivated me to be a doctor who misses nothing, or doesn’t just try to tick off a checklist… basically just treat each patient as a person, really, and not as a statistic.”
Lemusu said Pasifika has values and beliefs that are difficult for non-Pasifika to understand.
“If we’re being treated or if we’re consulting with a medical professional, whether it’s a doctor or a nurse, it’s hard to make that connection,” he said.
“Because they don’t understand our values and our beliefs, and so they can’t approach us in a way that would be respectful and help us feel comfortable.”
The program guides students in subject choice, trajectory planning and course supervision.
Marcellin College was treated to a presentation on Tuesday and next week there will be a joint session between the Kelston Boys’ and Girls’ schools.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
Pati said the program guides students through subject selection, pathway planning and course guidance.
“People in the Pacific have shared values, so it doesn’t matter if you’re Niuean, Tongan, Samoan – we all have the shared cultural values of respect, family responsibilities and caring for the elderly,” said team leader Natasha Pati.
“We want to increase the number of health professionals in the Pacific…and be able to care for our own Pacific community.”