Listen Now: 
Download AudioIt’s Ashley Bloomfield’s last day heading the Ministry of Health, and his deputy director Māori says his term has been positive for Māori health.
Dr Bloomfield came under fire from Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chief executive John Tamihere over the release of data Māori providers wanted to use for targeted Covid vaccination campaigns.
But John Whaanga says the record will show he re-established a Māori health directorate, pulled together the first Māori health action plan in over a decade, and defended the ministry’s record before the Waitangi Tribunal’s WAI 2575 Health Services Claim.
“I think he’s got a very strong focus on equity and a very strong background in public health and also in his time as an ex-DHB chief executive he’s also seen the service and community side of things in terms of, particularly with Māori health, how important it is that we engage authentically with our community and our iwi and our Māori partners,” he says.
Cancer Control Agency chief executive Diana Sarfati takes over on Monday as acting director-general of health.
RELATED NEWS
