November 10, 2013
Bias concern against Maori mothers
Associate health minister Tariana Turia is concerned at a new report showing Maori women experience inequalities in access to maternity care.
The report by Massey University’s Whariki Research Group, Hapu Ora: Well-being in the Early Stages of Life, is part of a project to identify research priorities for the life course of Maori.
Mrs Turia says Maori babies suffer disproportionately from low birth weight, pre-term birth, stillbirths and neonatal mortality, so it’s essential to improve the support services provided in the early stages of life.
She says institutional bias is intolerable.
"Maybe it’s because of the circumstances that many of our young people are in today that these providers are not wanting to meet their needs, not wanting to engage with them. Frankly, they need to get over that, get alongside these young people, build relationships with them so that they can provide the very best care that they can," Mrs Turia says.
She says some midwives go above and beyond the call of duty to care for young Maori mothers, but others aren’t coming up to the mark.
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