Speech notes for address to addressed the Pacific health provider development fono in Auckland

Introduction

Talofa Lava, Malo e lelei, Kia orana, Ni sa bula vinaka, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Greetings

I would like to welcome and thank all the speakers and guests here today.

I have already met some of you, and seen some of the great work being done by Pacific researchers and communities when I visited the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland Tamaki campus.

In particular, this will be the first time Pacific providers from the smaller regions or the smaller organisations will have been able to get together with some of the bigger and more established groups.

I hope that you will be able to use this occasion to share what you have learned in previous years, and all the new ideas for projects and services that you are currently working on.

I want you all to know that I plan to continue - and build on - the achievements of my predecessor in the Health portfolio, Hon Annette King.

These achievements include:

• Cheaper doctors visits and prescriptions through Primary Health Organisations (PHOs). Over 90% of Pacific people are now registered with a PHO;
• The development of the Pacific Health and Disability Action Plan in 2002;
• The publication of Pacific Health in New Zealand: Our Stories in 2003 charting the development of Pacific health services in New Zealand;
• The development of the Pacific Health and Disability Workforce Development Plan in 2004;
• The release of Tupu Ola Moui: Pacific Health Chart Book in 2004;
• The release of the first dedicated report on the mental health of New Zealand’s Pacific population, Te Orau Ora: Pacific Mental Health Profile in 2005; and
• The Pacific Provider Development Fund (or PPDF) which was increased from $1 to $5 million (per annum) in 2000/01.

Pacific Health Status

This government is committed to improving the affordability, accessibility, quality and effectiveness of health services for all New Zealanders, and reducing inequalities between groups in New Zealand, including between Pacific and other New Zealanders.

In particular, conditions such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease mortality, infant mortality and childhood infectious diseases are significantly higher among Pacific peoples than the national average.

The government has a range of strategies in place to address the underlying issues that contribute to health inequalities. Our policy programme balances economic and social policy in order to lift the quality of life for all.

I know that many of you are often asked to become involved in various advisory groups and committees. Thank you for making the time, doing the preparation and providing the evidence.

Why have Pacific provider and workforce development?

In all areas of health, we act upon an evidence base. Using providers from the same ethnic group, or who speak the same language as a population facing barriers to access, is widely seen as an effective strategy for improving service provision.

Developing the Pacific provider sector and increasing the number of Pacific peoples working in health will benefit the whole of the sector. The increasing number of Pacific health professionals will foster more and better communication between themselves and Pacific health consumers, and this in turn will flow on into the whole health workforce.

A greater diversity in the mainstream workforce is likely to lead to procedures and systems more suited to the needs of more diverse consumer groups, greater patient satisfaction and better health outcomes.

I understand that an evaluation of the Pacific Provider Development Fund (or PPDF) will be underway later this year, and I look forward to seeing the results of it.

Achievements in Provider Development

Some of the achievements that have been supported by the Pacific Provider Development Fund include:

• The establishment of three Pacific PHOs;
• Major partnerships with two mainstream PHOs;
• Community partnerships with churches and other groups (for example to work on diabetes and Meningococcal B immunisation);
• Projects that have seen 75 Pacific people complete ‘Institute of Directors’ courses, and 230 Pacific people receive certificates in company direction;
• More Pacific people serving at board level in Crown entities in the health sector, such as DHBs and the Health Research Council;
• More Pacific people participating in key Ministerial committees and Ministry of Health consultative and advisory groups

Provider development is also about Pacific communities taking control of the health of their own people – directing their own development, and eventually, leading to better outcomes in the form of improved health status for all Pacific peoples in New Zealand.

Meningococcal B success: A Model of community and government collaboration

I want to take this opportunity to thank those who have worked to make the Meningococcal B immunisation programme a huge success for Pacific children.

The programme turned formerly low rates of immunisation (and twice the national average rates of disease) among Pacific children, to the highest rates of immunisation in New Zealand.

This is a phenomenal success story.

Pacific Health Research

Pacific health research will provide some of the information needed to identify what interventions the health sector need to focus on. The work on obesity prevention in Pacific communities (or OPIC) by the Pacific Health Research Centre at the School of Population Health at the Auckland University is an excellent example of this.

The Pacific Provider Development Fund also provides some support for Pacific provider and workforce research, and research workforce capability and capacity development.

Health Research Council Pacific Health Research Strategy

That brings me to my final task here today - to launch the Health Research Council’s Pacific Health Research Strategy.

The Strategic Plan for Pacific Health Research has been developed by the HRC to guide activities that will contribute to a vision of “optimal health for Pacific peoples”.

The HRC's Pacific Health Research Committee and members of the HRC's Pacific team in consultation with Pacific communities have written the plan over the past year.

Each of the six goals in the HRC’s Plan has the potential to contribute to better health outcome for Pacific peoples. It will do this by engaging with communities, by building a Pacific health research workforce, and by investment in high quality health research.

Over the next few months the HRC will be working with the Pacific team at the Ministry of Health to identify the ways in which research based activities could inform the Ministry’s Health and Disability Action Plan for Pacific Health.

Conclusion

As Minister, I am keen to promote greater engagement with Pacific communities through high quality providers and programmes which are evaluated and effective. I would like to see the Pacific Provider Development Fund as the vehicle through which this type of development can be supported.

The Health Workforce Advisory Committee recently noted that the Pacific health labour market is currently not able to meet the demand for Pacific health practitioners.

Continued investment in the health workforce and in workforce planning is a priority for government. During my time as Minister of Health I would like to:

• Increase the Pacific health workforce by encouraging more Pacific peoples into the health professions;
• Increase the access to and use of Pacific health providers;
• Promote early intervention by helping Pacific people access mainstream health services as well as Pacific services, by addressing financial constraints and ensuring the new Primary health care package is effectively meeting this need; and
• Encourage the growth and development of the Pacific Health Research workforce, and use of evidence to support actions to improve Pacific health.

I recognise there can be extra pressures on people working in targeted services. The issue of tension between business, culture and community values is one of the themes for this fono, and I am hopeful that this fono will provide an environment where you can have those kind of internal discussions.

So is the issue of the future configuration of services needed to respond to the changing Pacific populations. Half of all Pacific people in New Zealand are under the age of 21, compared to 35 per cent for the total population.

For my part, I can confirm that the government and the mainstream (or ‘general population’) agencies are here to continue to support you as Pacific service providers, and to improve health outcomes for Pacific peoples.

Thank you