Covid-19 fallout hits Maori health
Ma¯ ori and Pasifika health inequalities are expected to get worse as a result of the Covid-19 economic fallout and delayed access to healthcare.
Dr Bryan Betty, medical director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, said more resources need to be put in to Ma¯ ori and Pasifika health care.
On average, Ma¯ ori have the worst health status of any ethnic group in New Zealand.
Betty, who works as a GP out of Porirua, said the number of deferred surgeries because of Covid-19 was a real concern for Ma¯ ori and Pasifika people.
It comes as Capital & Coast District Health Board said it would take an elective surgery patient’s ethnicity into account for specialist treatment, along with the person’s level of clinical urgency and the number of days they have been on a wait list.
The DHB’s medical officer John Tait said the impact on other patients was expected to be minimal because it would increase planned surgery overall.
Betty said the DHB’s move to prioritise Ma¯ ori and Pasifika on waitlists would help address barriers.
‘‘It’s not about denying access to any group in New Zealand, it’s about redressing the imbalance. It’s got absolutely nothing to do with like for like ... it is extra resources to address the barriers,’’ he said.
‘‘One size fits all doesn’t fit.’’
More resources needed to be put into Ma¯ ori and Pasifika health, Betty said.
Transient people were harder to contact, and those who struggle to read or write in English might miss mail.
Someone who missed an outpatient appointment at the hospital because of issues with transport had to then wait a long time for another appointment, he said.
‘‘All these things make it difficult to access care and all relate to poverty.’’
Auckland University of Technology Ma¯ ori health professor Dr Denise Wilson said Ma¯ ori fared far worse than others during an economic crisis, with poverty and unemployment expected to be big issues.
‘‘Covid is going to accentuate those issues,’’ she said.
And equality wasn’t the same as equity. ‘‘Some people get upset that they’re getting more than others but Maori and Pasifika don’t get the same as other people,’’ she said. ‘‘They have bigger mountains to climb when we look at things like access to services.’’
Ma ori are more likely to have long-term conditions, and live in areas with social deprivation. Racism was also an issue affecting Ma ori, she said.
Dr David Tipene-Leach, MNZM, said Capital & Coast’s approach was a great move to address inequity in the health sector. However, more work was needed ‘‘all along the [healthcare] pipeline’’.
Although National MP Dr Shane Reti had criticised the DHB’s decision by saying addressing inequity should be ‘‘judged by clinical urgency rather than ethnic background’’, Tipene-Leach said ethnicity can, and should be, part of the decision-making process.
‘‘The health system, like other systems in New Zealand, delivers different outcomes for different groups of people. ‘‘One of the biggest differentiating things, is your ethnicity. Is that an appropriate outcome in any country ... [especially when] our founding document is one of partnership?’’