July 07, 2022
Māori health workforce plan at risk from nursing crisis
A leading Māori doctor says efforts to fill Covid-related gaps in the health workforce can’t be allowed to undermine efforts to build up a Māori health workforce.
There are calls to speed up the application process for overseas-trained nurses, who have been in short supply because of the two-year border closure.
Dr Rawiri Jansen says he is working with the Māori Health Authority of building pathways to train more Māori nurses and allied health workers – something that will take several years.
“On the other hand, we have got some really, urgent health workforce needs. I want to make sure we don’t overdo the bringing them in from overseas jurisdictions. If we just bring them in, if we just import them, we are going to miss the really important work of growing a Māori health workforce,” he says.