February 07, 2019
Slack GPs risk takatāpui health
Takatāpui are less likely than other groups to access health services, and Māori sexual and reproductive health body Te Whāriki Takapou wants to do something about it.
It has teamed up with the University of Waikato’s Te Kotahi Research Institute to investigate the scope of the problem and possible solutions.
Chief executive Alison Green says survey results collected so far by the Honour Project indicates gaps in the way general practitioners and primary healthcare providers respond to Māori lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual people.
Almost half of takatāpui men say their GP has never asked about their sexual orientation.
"That means in practical terms that men aren't being offered critical STI tesing, HIV testing, they aren't being offered the HPV vaccine. As a result they are being exposed to, the worst outcome of course is death. They are also likely, if they become infected with any of those disease, pass those to others," Dr Green says.
The Honour Project is keen to get more response for the survey, which can be found on the tewhariki.org.nz website.
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