Hato Hone St John paramedics and Winston Kingi. Photo / Waimanea Nuri - Whakaata Maori
Hato Hone St John paramedics and Winston Kingi. Photo / Waimanea Nuri - Whakaata Maori
Originally published by Whakaata Maori
Rural people are getting better access to healthcare thanks to Pokapū o te Taiwhenua, a telehealth virtual network developed by Te Whatu Ora and Hato Hone St John.
The satellite internet constellation, Starlink, is being used so rural families and communities can connect virtually with their doctors and specialists.
Kaingaroa resident Winston Kingi finds getting to doctor appointments difficult and says Pokapū o te Taiwhenua is a lifesaver for rural whānau, not only because of the distance to travel to appointments but because some whānau don’t have vehicles.
“Before Pokapū o te Taiwhenua, I used to miss my appointments every time and that’s because of the timeline I have, to catch the public bus from Kaingaroa to Rotorua, which restricts me from getting to my appointments on time.”
Hato Hone St John paramedics and Pokapū o te Taiwhenua coordinator Sue Westbrook with Winston Kingi and his whānau. Photo / Waimanea Nuri - Whakaata Maori
Kingi says since Hato Hone and Pokapū o te Taiwhenua have started offering the connection to small towns, his mind is at peace knowing whānau in his community are getting the help needed.
“I just want to thank and applaud all of them for all the help that they have given all New Zealand citizens. They are doing a great job,” Kingi says.
The Lakes DHB Joint Clinical Council gave the go-ahead for the Pokapū o te Taiwhenua concept in June 2020 with the aim of supporting telehealth models using a non-clinical Maori workforce that supports digital health coaching in collaboration with a community-based, local workforce across Rotorua, Taupō, Tūrangi, Mangakino, Reporoa, Kaingaroa Forest, Murupara and Ruatāhuna.
Pokapū o te Taiwhenua coordinator Sue Westbrook says the kaupapa is aimed at providing whānau with the “right care, at the right place at the right time with the right technology and the right facilitation.
“Our main goal is more or less about maintaining the right care to all whānau who are needing support and that’s allowing every client to have that opportunity,” Westbrook says.
Health equity for Māori
Rotorua Hospital associate director of nursing Māori Marguerite Marsh says her role is aimed at driving professional initiatives that will mean health equity for Māori, which is also a part of what Pokapū o te Taiwhenua is all about.
“Our Te Whatu ora clinicians are the ones people will be working with; they are the ones they will see on their screens at home. What the Te Whatu Ora doctors and clinical nurse specialists do is work with St Johns to understand what is going on with the patient and assist whānau where we are able to; St John is a key part of our mahi, which is to support the patient and whānau in their homes”.
Since the majority of households in remote locations like Kaingaroa lack reliable internet access, healthcare providers like St John and Whatu Ora have had to improvise to get their patients to their appointments by connecting them through Starlink.
Hato Hone St John national equity manager Dan Spearing says Starlink is an excellent way to link patients with their doctors.
He says being able to send Hato Hone paramedics directly to the patient’s home and connect them to their doctor’s appointment is the main focus, “and we are really happy to be able to provide the care that rural families need.
“To overcome some of the internet barriers, we use Starlink to power the technology so we can dial in a clinician by a video teleconference and send all these vital signs, such as blood pressure, oxygen, heart rate, ECG directly to a clinician to make informed decisions about the patient’s health”.
Although Pokapū o te Taiwhenua is helpful to whānau who live in rural areas, its partners and providers also want to emphasise how crucial it is for all communities in Aotearoa to keep up this mahi.
However, funding will determine whether this initiative is spread further throughout the motu.
