Kai a natural fit at marae vaccine event, says chair rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Immunisation rates of babies in Tairāwhiti have dropped disturbingly low , with one expert saying it reflects an overstretched health system in the middle of the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out.
When the health system is under pressure, children from deprived areas tend to miss out, an expert says.
Photo: Unsplash
Hauora Tairāwhiti District Health Board figures show a five percentage point decrease in infants being vaccinated at eight months from April to May.
It has prompted a reset in Hauora Tairāwhiti s approach to immunisations and an urgent meeting with iwi and Māori health providers.
Immunisation Advisory Centre director Nikki Turner said similar patterns were being seen across the country.
Photo: 123RF
District Health Board Hauora Tairāwhiti has long acknowledged the challenge of providing a dental service for adolescents on the East Coast, pointing to the difficulties of attracting permanent dental therapists and dentists to remote areas.
The new mobile dental clinic is a relief to Tolaga Bay Area School principal Nori Parata, who said it was about two years since many of her students were last seen by a dentist.
She was absolutely delighted to see the service start at her school on 14 April, but reaching this point had been a drawn-out process. It is disturbing when you think that they re entitled to this service, and it s taken this long to do, Parata said.
Disconnected mental health system struggling to respond to whānau need - review rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.