July 15, 2021
Vax gap shows need for Maori-specific programme
The co-chair of Māori Pandemic response group Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā says the Government needs to acknowledge a gap in Māori vaccination numbers and fix it.
Dr Rawiri Jansen quit from the Government’s expert immunisation advisory group because he felt his advice was being ignored.
Three months on and with the campaign in full swing there is a gap in Māori being vaccinated ranging from 15 percent for the best DHB area to more than 50 percent for the worst.
He says statements from Ministers show they still refuse to see a problem, which means it won’t be fixed.
"I believe it will require many interventions to get this done. We've got to have a range of options. We've got to get better at inviting. We've got to get better at getting people booked into the system. We've got to make sure the system, when you arrive and you get your vaccination, that it's a good service because we will talk. There's so many things we need to do so we get a programme that works for our people but just ignoring it is not going to help," Dr Jansen says.
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