November 09, 2022
Equity lens highlights Māori child health gap
The new president of the Paediatrics Society says a focus on equity is the way to fix New Zealand’s health system.
Dr Owen Sinclair from Te Rarawa, a paediatrician at Waitakere Hospital, is the society’s first Māori president.
He says the low levels of immunisation of Māori children in places like South Auckland are an example of how the system of doesn’t work for Māori.
“The system where you just go to primary care and have one thing done, that’s not compatible with the Māori model of care. That’s not how we look after our whanau. We look after our whanau, we look after everything. The general practice process is incredibly transactional,” Dr Sinclair says.
He says all New Zealanders could benefit from a Māori service models where the wider needs of the whanau are considered.