Listen Now: 
November 17, 2022
More treatment options as Māori doctor number increases
Gideon Porter
Posted On November 17, 2022
The chair of the Medical Council, Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa, says having more Māori doctors would expand treatment options.
The latest Medical Workforce survey shows about 4.5 percent of doctors identify as Māori.
Dr Curtis Walker, of Whakatōhea and Ngāti Porou, says at the current rate of increase that could double by 2040, which would be good for the whole sector.
It would allow more complex services, such as dialysis treatments on marae.
“You know, something like that should, and could, be doable. I think our new health system reforms have an opportunity to do that – through both locality and also iwi-Maori partnership boards – you know looking at what best serves the local community,” he says.
Dr Walker says at the current rate of increase women doctors will outnumber their male counterparts by 2025.
RELATED NEWS
