ProCare Calls On Te Whatu Ora To Increase Access To HPV Screening For Wāhine

Leading healthcare provider, ProCare, has called on Te
Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand to provide increased access
to HPV screening for women across Aotearoa by allowing
Registered Nurses (RNs) who haven’t completed the cervical
sample taker training to be able to undertake HPV Primary
Screening aka self-testing.

Bindi Norwell, Chief
Executive at ProCare says: “So far, we believe the HPV
self-screening programme has made significant headway in
achieving the objectives of providing less invasive
screening to meet cultural needs, targeting under-screen
populations, and increasing equity for wāhine Māori,
Pacific peoples, and the Rainbow community. Therefore, we
pass on our congratulations to Te Whatu Ora for the
fantastic progress made to date!

“However, we
believe that the final objective – reducing barriers to
access – could still be enhanced even further by allowing
Registered Nurses (RNs) who haven’t completed the cervical
sample taker training to be able to undertake HPV Primary
Screening aka self-testing, thereby ultimately protecting
more women from developing HPV in the future,” she
continues.

“We have a duty to advocate on behalf of
the communities we serve, and our priority is to get as many
women screened as quickly as possible – especially those
who are overdue, so that we have less wāhine dying of
cervical cancer in the future,” points out
Norwell.

Dr Allan Moffitt, Clinical Director at
ProCare says: “Survey after survey has shown New
Zealand’s medical workforce is burnt out. Allowing nurses
to take on more responsibility within the practice will help
ease the pressure on GPs, support more effective workforce
practices and reduce waiting times for
patients.

“Allowing RNs to take on a greater role in
this space will also ensure we meet our commitment to Te
Tiriti o Waitangi principles by implementing whānau-centred
care models that actively involve families and communities
in healthcare decisions, care planning, and support
processes.

“As we know there are many challenges
when seeking to deliver healthcare in a culturally
appropriate context and improving the equity of health
outcomes particularly for Māori, Pacific, and low
socioeconomic groups is a Ministry-wide and ProCare
priority,” concludes Dr
Moffitt.

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