Target: To close the health gap for Maori | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

Closing the health gaps between Maori and non-Maori is a key aim for Health Rotorua.

The primary health organisation has unveiled plans to significantly improve the health of Maori in the district in a new strategy for 2011-14.

Chairman of Health Rotorua Russell Burton said the purpose of the plan was to improve, maintain and restore the health of people enrolled with Health Rotorua and reduce inequities.

"It is the result of extensive consultation with primary care stakeholders and Maori in the Health Rotorua area, and will guide how we apply health investments in the Rotorua community.

"The activities and initiatives focus on structural behavioural, clinical and social interventions in order to improve access to, and utilisation and effectiveness of, both health and disability services delivered in the primary health setting."

Dr Burton said Health Rotorua was adopting a new approach.

"With Maori representing 37 per cent of the 71,000 enrolled patients in the Rotorua rohe [district], and with this group generally having a 10-year shorter lifespan than non-Maori, we need to be active in addressing these gross inequities."

Health Rotorua Maori health liaison Ana Morrison developed the strategy and associated action plan. She said Health Rotorua had a significant high needs population.

"Over three-quarters of the Health Rotorua population are socio-economically vulnerable. Given the well-known link between social determinants and health inequities, the fact that 66 per cent of Maori in our area are in that category is a clear indication of the need to take bold and decisive action."

The plan set out specific health priorities for Maori health.

"These areas are around whanau health, smoking, mental health, oral health and disease prevention by addressing nutrition, obesity and physical activity."

Ms Morrison has also a developed an action plan which describes the activities Health Rotorua will undertake to reduce the inequities.

She said one of the prime examples was smoking - 44 per cent of Maori smoked, compared with 18 per cent of non-Maori. The plan set a target to reduce smoking for Maori to the same level. This would be a collaborative approach, Health Rotorua working with other providers such as the Lakes District Health Board and the Lakes Auahi Kore Coalition.

Ms Morrison said some of the actions included funding traditional Maori healing services and helping iwi develop their own health plans. One of the more contentious actions in the plan would be developing a "position statement" on the benefits of fluoridation of the Rotorua water supply.

Ms Morrison said a successful pilot project which Health Rotorua had undertaken and which typified its new approach was an innovative smoking cessation initiative.

"This has produced outstanding quit results after only three months in operation, with 48 per cent of participants smokefree and over 61 per cent of the others reduced smoking."

The GP subsidy initiative was aimed at providing better help for smokers to quit by removing the prescription cost barrier.

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