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A Maori public health practitioner is warning that a Health Ministry review of funding arrangements for programmes addressing Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy or SUDI could jeopardise gains that have been made in recent years.
Tomorrow is Safe Sleep Day promoting safe sleep practices for babies, such as ensuring they sleep on their backs and devices like woven wahakura or plastic pepi pods so families can sleep safely with their infants.
Dr David Tipene-Leach says over the past five years there has been a 30 percent drop in SUDI in New Zealand, driven largely by the reduction in the deaths of Maori infants.
He says that’s despite the fact 40 percent of Maori newborns are not seen by health professionals within the first few weeks of birth.
That means whanau Maori are also least likely of any group to be briefed about safe sleep practices.
He says rather than reviewing whether it should continue to fund services, the government should support more safe sleep programmes at national and regional level to even further reduce Maori SUDI rates.
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