Health expert walks from Govt’s vaccine group
A top Māori GP has quit the Government’s expert immunisation advisory group over concerns around the vaccine rollout, saying he felt his voice wasn’t being heard.
Dr Rawiri Jansen’s resignation comes days after he told the Herald he considered it an “overwhelming failure” on his part and the Government’s that the vaccine rollout did not prioritise Māori below 65.
Members of the Māori pandemic group, Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā, which Jansen co-chairs, have previously criticised the Government for treating Māori as an afterthought in its Covid-19 response.
In January, Jansen voiced expectations that Māori under 65 would be included in the vaccine priority groups, given the poor health outcomes experienced by Māori earlier than Pākehā.
While the rollout’s second vaccination priority group included older Māori and Pacific people cared for by their wha¯nau and the carers themselves, there is no mention of the priority group Jansen expected.
Speaking to Radio Waatea, Jansen said he was particularly frustrated by the Government’s refusal to adopt an age adjuster, so Māori could be included in the high-risk elderly group at 50 or 55 rather than 65.
While the Government said Māori health providers would have the discretion to vaccinate people earlier if necessary, Jansen said most Māori relied on mainstream services.
Jansen previously told the Herald the process gave him an “overwhelming sense of failure”.
“It’s going to lead to a grossly inequitable vaccination programme because we didn’t follow the science.”
Jansen predicted Māori would be at more risk of dying if the virus mutated and older wha¯nau were not appropriately vaccinated.
He also took aim at the Government for what he claimed was a decision based on optics, not science.
He urged the likes of directorgeneral of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield to review priority groups to include at-risk Māori.
A Ministry of Health spokesperson has already said people who were at risk of getting very sick from Covid19 – many of whom were Māori – would start to receive the vaccine from next month.
The spokesperson outlined the $39 million investment for the Māori Covid-19 vaccine and immunisation approach, the majority of which would be spent developing vaccine support services to ensure whānau could easily navigate and access vaccination services.
The ministry was approached for further comment over Jansen’s subsequent resignation.