Tairawhiti Visited by National Health Committee

Friday 16 May

Tairawhiti Visited by National Health Committee

Tairawhiti health and disability sector representatives have a rare chance next week to meet with a high-level committee that reports directly to Minister of Health Annette King.

The National Health Committee is an independent committee that reports to the Minister on public health, personal health and disability services.

It consults widely with sector stakeholders and members of the public. It visits districts around New Zealand and this year, Tairawhiti was selected.

Tairawhiti District Health Chief Executive Jim Green said this is a valuable opportunity for people working in the district’s health and disability sector to send messages about local issues right to the top.

“Information gathered from all the meetings and presentations will help the NHC identify the successes that are occurring in our community, as well as the difficulties those that work within it face. The impact of various policies and processes can also be ascertained.

“The visit will provide the Committee with a better understanding of how those providing health and disability services in rural communities operate and how innovative we are in finding ways to deliver services to Tairawhiti people . They will report back to the Minister thereby possibly influencing strategic direction.” Over the two-day visit an enormous number of representatives from the health and disability sector will meet with the Committee.

The committee’s visit starts at TDH with a Pohiri in the Chapel on Monday 16 May at 10am.

During the day the NHC will meet with both the district’s Primary Health Organisations and Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa.

On Tuesday 17 May the NHC will meet with various TDH Advisory Committee members and the focus of discussion will be on rural issues in the delivery of health and disability services.

A public health forum involving a number of local GPs, and health sector representatives will be held. Dr David Tipene-Leach will present an update on the Ngati and Healthy diabetes project underway up the East Coast.
Concurrently there will be a forum on disability issues at Gisborne District Council. The Committee has a particular interest in how carers are cared for within services. They expect the forum to show how issues have changed over the years. The day will culminate in a meeting with Te Runanga o Ngati Porou representatives followed by a farewell.

The National Health Committee is made up of leaders in various fields of health and disability issues. Its members include Robert Logan, Director of Medicine at Hutt Valley DHB, Riripeti Haretuku, programme director for the national Maori SIDS project, and Linda Holloway, Assistant Vice-Chancellor of Health Sciences at Otago University, and Sara Georgeson, Service Coordinator for Supportlinks.

ENDS

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