Maori Health in Hauraki-Waikato deserves greater priority says Greensill

Angeline Greensill, Maori Party Candidate for Hauraki-Waikato

Thursday 5 November 2008

Hauraki-Waikato candidate, Angeline Greensill, has today congratulated Waikato District Health Board for being a finalist in three sections in the national Health Innovation Awards; and for receiving a commendation for its ‘double balloon enteroscopy’ procedure.

“This new procedure has the benefit of both reducing the need for surgery and cutting down the length of time patients stay in hospital” said Mrs Greensill.

“The importance of hauora, of good health and wellbeing, is critical to Maori in this electorate” said Mrs Greensill.

The Waikato DHB Maori Health Strategic Plan reports trends for Waikato Mâori showing hospitalisations increasing at an approximate average rate of 244 discharges per year.

“Recent polling of the electorate revealed that 84% of the 500 Maori surveyed thought that access to affordable quality health services was very important”.

“In addition, Hauraki-Waikato has a young population, high unemployment, and higher rates of mortality than national trends for diabetes, respiratory infections, and unavoidable hospitalisations” said Mrs Greensill.

“With such dire and growing health needs, we must ensure that Maori health in Hauraki-Waikato becomes of much greater priority than we have seen over recent years” said Mrs Greensill.

"When out door-knocking, we have found these issues associated to the want for better housing, the need to support poor communities, working families and many of our kaumatua associate our current condition with the ultimate neglect of the Treaty of Waitangi" said Mrs Greensill.

“I am looking forward to taking up these issues with urgency, including the specific health needs of Mâori children such as asthma, injury prevention, oral health and hearing, come a successful result for the Maori Party this Saturday”.

ENDS

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