E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services echoes the calls of Māori
health leaders and researchers this week for a more cross
sectoral approach to healthcare for best outcomes for
Māori.
E Tipu e Rea celebrated the announcement of
health reforms six months ago with high hopes for The Maori
Health Authority, now named Te Aka Whai Ora. As an
organisation we still remain very supportive of the move;
however, due to the nature of our mahi, where we work both
in the health and the social service sectors, and with the
whanau who navigate these systems, we don’t believe the
changes in the health sector are the full and complete
answer to reducing inequalities.
This month alone we
have seen the young whānau we work with struggle more than
usual with access to GP services, childhood immunisations
and midwifery services but alongside this they have also
struggled with access to housing, food and other living
costs which has had a direct affect on their health. The way
that health services and social services go hand in hand
means that one affects the other and vice versa. So without
wider systemic change across sectors we are going to
continue to see negative health outcomes for whānau
Māori.
“A cross-sector response that does not just
lay in the responsibility of Health needs to occur, our
whānau do not operate in silos, they are across sectors,
and each sector can either open doors to hauora or close
them. Support systems in health and social services need to
communicate daily, and operate closely to be an ecosystem
that works to reduce inequalities” says CEO Zoe
Hawke.
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