Government criticised for not targeting funding to Māori with cancer

The late Talei Morrison created the #SmearYourMear campaign. Photo / File

By Taroi Black at Te Ao Māori News

The Labour government isn't doing enough to create targeted health funding for Māori, who are twice as likely as non-Māori to die from cancer - according to the Cancer Control Agency - Te Aho o te Kahu's first report.

The report said Māori were 20 per cent more likely to develop cancer, and nearly 3000 Māori are diagnosed with cancer each year.

The brother of the founder of the Māori-led cervical screening movement #SmearYourMea said health funding needed to be directed to more Māori health providers.

Eruera Keepa chairs the campaign his late sister Talei Morrison created after being diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2017 to encourage and support wahine Māori of all ages to participate in cervical screening.

"If I draw on our own personal experience, Talei waited 10 hours for her cervical screening and by then it was too late."

He said funding needed to be re-directed to kaupapa Māori like #SmearYourMea. He said 517 women were screened in a week-long #SmearYourMea campaign but that otherwise there were few services for cervical screening.

"It's not about more funding, it's about re-directing that funding. From a SmearYourMea perspective we take a lot of pride in the way we connect, the way we communicate with our people."

Last year the Ministry of Health launched a new campaign targeting Māori and Pacific women under the National Cervical Screening Programme with the tagline "give your cervix some screen time".

But it didn't consult with the Māori-led kaupapa #SmearYourMea whose chair thinks would have been a strong option to consider engaging with Māori and Pacific wahine.

"There have been productive conversations since then with the Ministry of Health and we're always open to that."

"It's about Talei's legacy. It's about saving lives."

Waitematā and Auckland District Health board's chief advisor tikanga Māori Dame Naida Glavish believed the government hadn't addressed the inequities in Māori with cancer.

"The government's at fault for not providing funding," Glavish said.

However, the government saw this report as an opportunity to provide more treatment.

Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare said: "I've seen the report and there are so many different types of cancer. I want to assess what areas we can do to address these issues for our Māori people."