No room for institutional racism in hospital beds says minister

Tariana Turia is warning hospital hierarchies to raise the bar on the way they provide clinical health care to Maori.

Mrs Turia said she was disappointed to hear that Maori got poorer clinical health care in public hospitals than non-Maori, particularly in the areas of obstetric treatment, cardiac intervention, end stage renal disease and mental illness.

"The findings of the latest research study are unacceptable and I am particularly concerned that such care, or lack of it, may be contributing to the poorer health status of Maori," Mrs Turia said.

"There's no room for institutional racism in our public health system. In fact, district health boards and private health services need to ensure cultural competency remains a key priority and I will be doing everything I can to make sure that happens."

The research study, done by Juliet Rumball-Smith of Otago University in Christchurch, was published in today's issue of the New Zealand Medical Journal.