Targeted funding missing from Budget, ethnic leaders say
Ethnic leaders at a meeting with Ethnic Communities Minister Mark Mitchell in April.
Photo:
RNZ / Liu Chen
The Budget unveiled by Finance Minister Nicola Willis on Thursday dashed ethnic leaders' hopes of receiving more targeted funding for their communities.
The Ethnic Communities Development Fund, one of the chief funds for the cohort that is managed by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, hasn't increased from $4.2 million annually since 2019.
Vishal Rishi, chief executive of The Asian Network Incorporated, said the ethnic population had grown in recent years and more organisations would be vying for the limited pool of funding to aid their work.
"[The fund does] nothing to address the needs of our communities at all," Rishi said.
"So, I don't know what's going to happen with lots of ... community programs or other smaller community groups, which are [essentially] cultural groups," he said. "How they going to survive, including us?"
Vishal Rishi is chief executive of The Asian Network Incorporated.
Photo:
Supplied
The health budget now tops $31 billion, with funding increases for hospital and primary care, after-hours services, cancer treatment and mental distress calls.
Rishi, whose organisation provides health and social services, said he had hoped to see targeted funding to aid family harm prevention efforts, maternal mental healthcare and maternal care for Asian communities.
All three items were left out of Willis' "Growth Budget" on Thursday.
Hospitals and clinics did not deal with all needs, and community services were essential, he said.
"We wanted to see some clear, visible public health sector investment coming through to community groups or to grassroot communities, but I can't see anything coming," Rishi said.
"An ambulance at the bottom of a cliff ... is not going to work."
He said ethnic community providers would need to restructure and reconsider initiatives they had launched recently.
Kelly Feng is chief executive of Asian Family Services.
Photo:
Supplied
Kelly Feng, chief executive of Asian Family Services, which provides mental health and other social support, said it was great to see the health budget increasing and remained hopeful it could be used to benefit New Zealand's growing Asian population.
"We have to make sure that those general terms of the funding [take into consideration] the complex needs of the vulnerable, diverse population," she said.
"That means that ... interpreters need to be available for people who can't speak English [and] culture support needs to be available when people have ... complex needs for mental health, gambling harm and addiction issues."
If these elements were not considered, it would cost the system more in the long run, Feng said.
"Government officials or whoever is leading this piece of work [should] consider how they're going to address those diverse communities and ... make sure they can achieve for the whole population," she said.
"A one-size-fits-all [approach] ... will be leaving Asian migrants and refugees ... further marginalised and the gap of disparity much larger."
Arish Naresh is president of the Tairawhiti Multicultural Council.
Photo:
Supplied
Arish Naresh, president of the Tairawhiti Multicultural Council, said the stagnant funding showed ethnic communities weren't being proportionally prioritised.
"There has to be recognition at some point and there needs to be a sustained growth [in funding]," Naresh said.
"Otherwise, the $4.2 million-odd is a bit stressed and is not supporting communities that should be. It's probably undervaluing the contribution of our ethnic groups."
He said while some measures, such as expanding access to 12-month prescriptions and after-hours urgent care, will benefit migrant and ethnic communities by improving healthcare access and reducing costs, targeted funding remains absent.
"As ethnic populations continue to increase, the question remains: Are they truly counted and supported?"
Fleur Murray, deputy chief executive of corporate services at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, said the ministry was committed to ensuring the country's ethnic communities were recognised, included and empowered to thrive.
"We will continue to carefully balance our strategic priorities and work programmes within our budget to maximise the impact for Ethnic Communities and for all of New Zealand," Murray said.
"While we have made significant strides, there is always more work to be done.
"The ministry collaborates closely with communities, government agencies and stakeholders to ensure that ethnic diversity is acknowledged in public decision-making and practices."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
40 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Consultation on future of mental health facility Rauaroha Segar House extended
Rauaroha Segar House. Photo: Google Maps Street View Health officials have extended the consultation period about the future of an Auckland mental health facility facing closure. Health NZ has proposed shutting Rauaroha Segar House, a publicly funded intensive programme for people with long-standing or chronic mental health problems, even though staff and patients say nothing similar is available elsewhere in the North Island. Now staff are rallying to save it , and more voices are joining those calls, including a former patient. A man - who wants to remain anonymous - said he was struggling before he entered the programme. "When I first engaged with Segar House I suffered quite severe anxiety, ongoing long-term depression. "I simply wasn't really functioning. I wasn't employed. I struggled to do basic tasks like even going to the supermarket to get food." His life had now changed thanks to Segar House, he said. "In the three years since leaving Segar House I'm now self-employed. I run my own business. I'm now no longer reliant on the government for any sort of benefit. I'm completely paying my own way. I'm engaging in society. "It's difficult even to believe how much progress I've made." About 10 people go through the programme at any one time, but Health NZ said that wasn't enough. However, about six years ago criteria to enter changed, so it's only available to people who haven't worked out in other treatments. Segar House staff have made a counter proposal to Health NZ to keep the service and extend it to more people. The former patient said closing it would mean people, including trauma victims and survivors of abuse, wouldn't have access to something that worked. He said Health NZ's proposal had left him feeling despondent about its effects on those in the programme. "These are people really trying to rebuild their lives because this therapy isn't available elsewhere. "They're just going to melt away back into the background. It's just so sad. They could be really contributing to society. "They're just being abandoned." Closure would be akin to not providing care to a particular group of cancer sufferers, he said. The programme at Segar House mixed individual therapy with group work. "You're actually effectively building on a lot of skills to deal with real-world situations and a lot of the learning takes place when you see other people getting results or other people dealing with things. "You can see similarities with your own problems in other people and that really gives you an opportunity to grow." Health NZ said the proposal to close Segar House wouldn't reduce frontline staff, and redeploying them would mean their expertise was available to more people. It didn't answer questions about who it was consulting, and said it couldn't yet say when a final decision would be made. "In all other districts tangata whaiora [patients] with similar presentations are treated with individual therapy or group-based programmes, which is what we are proposing," Health NZ group director of operations for Auckland Michael Shepherd said. "The consultation process is still under way and no decision as to the proposal has been made. "While the consultation process is occurring, tangata whaiora will continue to receive the same service and support that they are currently receiving." Labour's mental health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins Labour's mental health spokesperson Ingrid Leary would like health officials to go with the staff proposal and then later make a decision on the programme's viability when that's been assessed. "I've been advised that the [consultation] date has been pushed out, but nobody knows until when. "It's to give the union the opportunity to speak with the employer about the alternative business plan, which would see Segar House extend the number of clients and be able to continue with its service." Health NZ declining to say who it had consulted with didn't bode well, Leary said. "I would have hoped that the extension for the decision was so Health NZ could consult not just with themselves, but actually go to the wider community and clinicians to do a proper consultation. "The fact that they won't reveal who they've consulted with indicates to me that they haven't consulted anyone else but themselves." The Public Service Association and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists have launched an online petition to save Segar House, which has about 480 signatures so far. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Staff rallying to save mental health facility
A mental health facility for some of our most difficult to treat patients has been given a last-minute reprieve ahead of its pending closure. Health NZ has proposed shutting Segar House, a publicly funded intensive programme for people with long-standing or chronic mental health problems. But staff have been rallying to save it, and now more voices are joining those calls, including a former patient. Jimmy Ellingham reports.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Commission criticises dentist after woman suffers tooth infection for eight months
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Vanessa Caldwell says from the time of the initial procedure on 4 December 2019, Ms A had concerns. Photo: 123rf A woman whose dental implant and bone-graft failed and who suffered an undiagnosed infection for eight months says she still has pain, headaches and brain fog four years on, and ended up losing her job as a result. In a report released on Monday, the Health and Disability Commission has criticised the dentist for failing to adequately explain the risks of the procedure, and for poor record-keeping and medication management. The complainant, known as "Ms A", had an implant supported crown placed in her upper left central incisor by a specialist periodontist in 2009. However, after two years of problems with the implant starting in 2017, she consulted the dentist in July of 2019. He suggested a treatment plan involving a bone graft to support a new implant and crown, which was approved by her insurance provider. Ms A told HDC that in discussing risks, the dentist "mentioned only that infection was a possibility, but he said that he had performed the procedure many times and only one other person had had an infection, which had healed well". She said he made the procedure sound very low risk and "all very fixable", and never mentioned anything about the possibility of it failing. "I really didn't think I was going to have a problem and I trusted [the dentist]." However, in the days following the procedure, she began feeling unwell and had "a burning sensation". Between 4 and 19 December, the dentist saw Ms A four times to assess the healing. He could see no sign of infection but prescribed antibiotics. On 16 December, he reported there was slight puffiness at the site of the graft, but no pus or other evidence of infection. At 6.55am on 19 December, Ms A texted the dentist asking him to call her. He ended up seeing her after hours and removing the "membrane" (a special wound dressing made from the patient's own blood), at her request. "He stated that he discussed the possible complications of re-opening the site, but she was very insistent that the membrane be removed. Dr B stated: 'In the end I abided by her wishes'. "In response to the provisional opinion, Ms A told HDC: 'This is not correct … It was his only suggestion he gave me to remedy the issue.'." On 20 December, Ms A went to a public hospital Emergency Department with swelling to her upper lip and left cheek, but an X-ray was normal and there was no sign of infection. She went back to the dentist on 23 December, who reassured her the site was healing well. He gave her a medical certificate. The patient told the HDC she asked him to write out an insurance claim but he declined, saying she was "Okay [and there was] no need to do that." "She said that she told him that she had no more sick leave and had started to use up her annual leave, but he did not seem to care and shrugged everything off, seemingly ignoring her. "Dr B said that the process was that she should have downloaded and completed the relevant form, which he would then have countersigned." She phoned the clinic again on Christmas Eve, and reception staff advised her to either go to the hospital or she could see another dentist at the practice on the following Friday. On Boxing Day, she went to the ED again with pain in her face, and was given painkillers and discharged. She texted the dentist, asking him to call her urgently. He called her that afternoon and she said blood tests were normal but clinicians suspected inflammation as the probable cause. On 27 December Ms A was seen by the dentist, who extended her medical certificate to 3 January 2020 and recorded that her gum looked "ok". The sutures were removed on 13 January by another dentist, who noted there were no signs of infection. On 20 January and again on 18 February, she was seen again by the dentist, who assured while the site looked normal and was healing well. Ms A was upset and worried that the infection was back. On 15 May Ms A's general practitioner (GP) referred her to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at a public hospital, querying whether Ms A had an infected dental cyst. Meanwhile, she had several more appointments over 2020 with the dentist , who uncovered the implant and put a temporary crown in place. "I felt like he wasn't listening, [and I was] at a loss to know what was happening to my body.'" On 17 August 2020 Ms A was seen by the maxillofacial service at the public hospital. The specialist noted the presence of a soft tissue pocket, peri-implantitis and bone loss, and that there was "large force put on [the] implant due to incorrect crown/implant ratio". She was referred to oral and maxillofacial surgeon, who removed both the implant and crown on 13 October 2020. Ms A told HDC that when the infected implant and surrounding bone in her jaw was removed, it left her with gum and bone shrinkage and stained teeth. She said the bacterial infection had been left undiagnosed for over eight months, and it had taken a toll on her health. "Today I still have burning, swelling and discomfort around the area where the implant use to be. I suffer from headaches, brain fog and concentration issues. Coupled with very bad fatigue. I also couldn't go back to work and I ended up losing my employment. "Four years on from then my life has never been the same." In response to the HDC provisional opinion, the dentist said it was "unfortunate Ms A has had to go through this". "No one likes to see a patient struggle and their treatment not go to plan." Two other dentists, two hospital visits and two X-rays had not found any evidence of infection either, he said. "It seems there was a low grade bone infection… We are all disappointed and sorry for [Ms A] that she got an infection and did not get the desired outcome." Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Vanessa Caldwell said from the time of the initial procedure on 4 December 2019, Ms A had "concerns". She said while the dentist pointed out the infection was only detected in December 2020 - when the hospital specialist conducted a CBCT (cone beam CT scan) - Ms A's GP had been "sufficiently concerned in May 2020 to refer her to a maxillofacial specialist". "And when Ms A was seen at the public hospital on 17 August the maxillofacial service identified a soft tissue pocket, peri-implantitis and bone loss. "Further, on 19 December 2019, the dentist had recorded 'infection tissue removed'." A dental expert who reviewed the clinical record for the HDC found the dentist "demonstrated considerable skill". "Although the procedure failed, the treatment was within his scope." Caldwell said however, the dentist failed to provide Ms A with the information she needed to make informed choices about her treatment, and his records were "incomplete in several respects". Dr B stopped practising dentistry in June 2021 due to a medical condition, but he said after receiving the complaint, he and the dental practice reviewed all clinicians' note-taking, and consent forms were being reviewed and updated. The HDC has recommended that the dentist apologise to Ms A for the criticisms in the report, and before returning to practice he undertake additional education on record-keeping, informed consent, person-centred care and effective communication with health consumers. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
