MANA Leader Hone Harawira Wednesday 11th April Māori Health Review Nothing But “Blatant Bloody Racism” “Blatant bloody racism” is how MANA leader Hone Harawira described National’s call for a review into ‘the cost effectiveness of Māori …MANA Leader Hone Harawira Wednesday 11th April
Māori Health Review Nothing But “Blatant Bloody Racism”
“Blatant bloody racism” is how MANA leader Hone Harawira described National’s call for a review into ‘the cost effectiveness of Māori health providers’.
“Government spends $7 million over several years on an assessment tool for adult literacy but only $150,000 on an evaluation tool for Māori health providers and they want it yesterday”.
“And how come government isn’t doing a review into the cost effectiveness of non-Māori health providers as well?”
“I know of heaps of Māori who go to the doctor in real pain and get sent home with an aspirin when they should be getting referred to hospital and yet nothing happens to the doctors” said Harawira. “And every whanau knows of somebody who went to hospital for something minor and died on the operating table and yet nothing happens to the District Health Boards”.
Harawira said that the real scandal was in the inability of mainstream health to reduce the scandalous Māori health statistics.
“Given the billions of dollars spent on non-Māori health providers and the continuing massive inequality in Māori health, the Minister should be calling for a review into why DHB’s refuse to report on targets to reduce Māori health disparities as they are required to do by law”.
“But the Minister wants a review into ‘the cost effectiveness of Māori health providers?”
Harawira said that Māori health providers weren’t opposed to a review but they were worried about the effect the review would have on their ability to turn around the appalling Māori health statistics “particularly when the review was only aimed at them”.
“You measure Māori providers against non-Māori providers and you’ll see a difference alright” said Harawira.
“Māori providers get less than non-Māori providers”.
“And Māori health improves when Māori go to Māori health providers too, because Māori feel comfortable talking to people who understand their situation and care for them, and that’s what Māori health providers do really, really well – engage with Māori and persuade them to change their lifestyles to improve their health”.
“This review is just another example of the institutional racism being used by the National Māori Party government to crush Māori endeavour” said Harawira. “And to nobody’s great surprise, the Māori Party has done a huff and a puff about it and then gone back to sleep”.
“If Māori health providers want to take a strong collective stand on this, then MANA will back them. United we stand, divided …”
Souce: Mana Party press release
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