November 08, 2021
Stand off over Māori heath data continues
The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency has rejected an offer from the Health Ministry to look for ways to share health data on a limited basis.
Chief executive John Tamihere says unelected bureaucrats are holding Māori, the Government and the county to ransom.
He says whānau ora providers need immediate access to the data so they can give their people the opportunity to be vaccinated.
The High Court last week ordered the ministry to reconsider its decision not to hand over Māori health data.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says it’s not appropriate to hand over individually identifiable health data for all Māori in the North Island.
Instead, he invited the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and its IT service provider Whānau Tahi to work with the ministry, relevant iwi and local service delivery providers to identify those rohe where vaccination outreach to Māori is most needed and identify the necessary and appropriate scope of data sharing in each case.