Pasifika health workers have just been given a $26 million funding boost. Marama T-Pole spoke with Pacific Peoples Minister Aupito William Sio about how this will help.
“Pacific providers are leading the Government’s response,” says Sio.
“They’re known to our communities, they’re trusted by our communities, and so the work that they have been doing, we can see that they are needing to not only maintain that but we also need to upscale that.”
Pacific health services are not only providing clinical support but also cultural, pastoral and welfare support.
“What we know now with this outbreak is we do need the language skills and the cultural intelligence when 70% of the cases are Pasifika, and then you’ve got a cluster that all speaks Samoan,” says Sio.
“So it’s really really important that we support all of that work and allow for the providers to lead it and allow for our providers to upscale it.
“So the bulk of money will go to our Pacific health and disability services, but we also have about 5 million that will go to the DHBs, particularly in Auckland and in Wellington, and that’s going to help make sure that their community outreach continues to be upscaled, because we know that works.”
Watch the full talanoa above.
