September 19, 2013
Access to health lags
The Taranaki District Health Board has been told it needs to do more to ensure Maori in its area get better access to healthcare.
The board asked researcher Mihi Ratima to do a Whanau Ora Health Needs Assessment of Maori living in Taranaki.
Dr Ratima told the Public Health Association's annual conference in New Plymouth yesterday there were access problems at every level.
There were substantial ethnic inequalities in health between Maori and non-Maori living, as measured by life expectancy, avoidable mortality, and self-reported health status.
She says the leading causes of avoidable hospitalisation in Maori, which differ from non-Maori, are angina and chest pain, asthma, dental conditions and respiratory infections.
Dr Ratima recommended strengthening the capacity and capability of Maori health providers and the Maori health workforce, and further work to address priority health conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, breast cancer, respiratory disease, oral health, mental health and disability.
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