July 19, 2021
Grant to build Maori surgery institute
One of the country’s newest surgeons wants to help other Māori follow her along the same path.
Jamie-Lee Rahiri from Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whātua and Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi is a surgical registrar at Waitematā DHB, where she’s working to build a pro-equity and culturally safe surgical workforce.
She’s just received a $30,000 health delivery research grant from the Health Research Council to lay the groundwork for Te Piringa Kotuku – an independent Māori surgical research and training institute.
Dr Rahiri says fewer than 1 per cent of New Zealand surgeons are Māori, and it’s important those coming through are well supported so they can play their part in improving the delivery of health services to Māori.
"I absolutely know it is a very lonely journey. It is super hard, the hours you have to put in, and there's also that extra curricula we have to navigate as Māori. Certainly institutional racism, discrimination, gender discrimination, that all applies, particularly in the surgery, so I want to make sure we can protect our whānau, our teina coming through and that's my main goal," she says.
Dr Rahiri will work alongside Māori clinical leaders Professor Jonathan Koea, Dr Maxine Ronald and Associate Professor Matire Harwood on plans for Te Piringa Kotuku.
Copyright © 2021, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com