April 21, 2020
Māori COVID-19 action plan work in progress
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The Health Ministry’s top Māori official is defending its COVID-19 Māori Response Action Plan.
Māori pandemic group Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā says the plan lacks detail on how the ministry, DHBs and mainstream health providers will ensure equitable healthcare for Māori during the COVID-19 response and recovery.
It says it uses aspirational language and words that will resonate with Māori, but offers no clear and tangible actions to bring those aspirations to life.
But John Whaanga says it’s a work in progress, designed to sit alongside the wider national plan.
He says there have also been innovations like carpark testing, pop up and mobilised testing, remote consultation with GPs and roadside checkpoints.
"So those are all things that have come out as we have gone through the last month or so and I think there are also initiatives we don't want to lose sight of as we move forward, so in the middle of crisis there has been some good innovation, and I think there is an opportunity to learn from that and factor that into when we move forward," Mr Whaanga says.
He says over the past few weeks there have been big changes in the understanding of COVID-19 and its risk factors, which all have to be factored into the plans.
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