Trust Tairāwhiti funding boosts access to subsidised Rua medicine

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

An extra 30 East Coast residents suffering in pain and unable to afford medicinal cannabis will this year be able to access subsidised medicine from Rua Bioscience.

The medicinal cannabis oil is available on prescription and GPs and specialists who are registered medical practitioners are able to include Rua’s medicine in patient treatment plans.

The medicine, expected to be used by people suffering from post-traumatic stress, chronic pain and anxiety, is available free of charge under the Compassionate Access scheme, which was previously capped at 30 people and was fully subscribed.

It is open to patients who reside in Te Tairāwhiti and are receiving a health service from a Tairāwhiti-based provider and have genuine barriers and hardship in accessing the medicine.

Thanks to co-funding of $85,000 from Trust Tairāwhiti, it will now expand to a 60-person cap.

The funding will also help more rangatahi here  gain tertiary scholarships and bring their expertise back to the region as Rua Bioscience also expands its Impact Programme and Compassionate Access Programme, which embraces a holistic approach to community development, education and healthcare.

Inspiring and empowering the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs is a key focus of Rua’s Impact Programme.

Since 2020, when the programme was launched, 39 rangatahi have been awarded scholarships to pursue higher education with a specific emphasis on health sciences.

The programme offers students a range of mentorships and internships, along with visits to Rua’s genetics centre of excellence, industry partners and universities.

“We are very appreciative of the distribution from Trust Tairāwhiti,” Rua chief executive Paul Naske said.

“Alongside our own investment and support from other partners, it will enable us to further grow the programme’s scope, scale and reach.”

Trust Tairāwhiti communities general manager Audine Grace-Kutia said the programme delivered demonstrable results and measurable value.

“The trust has been a supporter of Rua’s Impact Programme since it began and it’s exciting to see so many rangatahi motivated to pursue tertiary education.

“The ultimate aim is to see them return home and help drive sustainable social and economic impacts for the communities of Tairāwhiti.

“The Compassionate Access Programme is a unique approach to enhancing health and promoting wellbeing.

“This initiative strongly aligns with two of the trust’s key strategic focus areas — fostering innovation and future skills development, and enabling communities to lead and determine their pathways to he tohu ora .”