PMA Welcomes Budget 2024 Investment Into Health And Education

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group is pleased to see the government's investment into health, announced last week as part of Budget 2024. $8.15 billion is to be invested in health over the next four years, including $3.4 billion in hospital and specialty services and $2.12 billion for primary care and public health.

PMA Chief Executive, Debbie Sorensen, welcomes the much-needed boost.

"As a health organisation, we are well aware of the pressures our health system is facing, as well as the barriers our Pacific families come up against when accessing health care.

"This investment indicates the government's commitment to alleviating some of those pressures, which we are in full support of."

PMA Group owns three Etu Pasifika primary care clinics; two in Auckland and one in Christchurch. Sorensen highlights the importance of the primary care investment for Pacific families.

"Our clinics are underpinned by an integrated model of care, which means that our approach looks beyond just the health of our patients.

"We have mental health teams, Whānau Ora navigators, health coaches, as well as our doctors and nurses, all based at the clinic, and they collectively look after the health and wellbeing of each patient that walks in through our doors and requires our services.

"This boost in primary care will allow us to continue serving our families with a tailored, more holistic approach, and improving the level of care we provide for our patients."

PMA President, Dr Kiki Maoate ONZM FRACS, is also pleased to see the investment into education through this year's Budget.

"We believe education is an important tool to support better outcomes for our Pacific communities, so we are glad to see this raised as a priority.

"PMA Group invests in health and education each year through our scholarships, conferences, the programmes we deliver in New Zealand and the Pacific region, and through many other pathways.

"To see the Budget reflect the importance of health and education shows us that we are on the same page, and therefore, can continue to work in collaboration to achieve the best possible outcomes for our communities."

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