Posted on 23 June 2020
The impact of COVID-19 within the Pacific region could be devastating if regional community partners are not adequately supported, and if the public-health messaging is not coordinated and informed. Last week CID co-hosted a webinar with the Pasifika Medical Association, a network of Pacific health professionals, working collaboratively to strengthen Pacific health workforce capacity and meet the health needs of Pacific people across the region.
Presented by Debbie Sorensen (D.C.C.T, CMinstD, NZRPN), Chief Executive of Pasifika Futures, and the Pasifika Medical Association, this webinar was an opportunity to hear about what they identify as the critical issues facing the Pacific region as they respond to the COVID-19 crisis. It also covered things NGOs in New Zealand need to consider to best support their Pacific partners:
- For NGOs to listen carefully to information from countries and not push their own agenda
- Understand how NGOs might redeploy resources to support a countries approach and need currently
- The importance of collecting data in the Pacific and the misconception that this is a difficult task
- The prioritisation of child and maternal health, communicable and non-communicable disease control.
The talanoa with Debbie and the Pasifika Medical Association team has been one of CID's most popular webinars. CID's goal is to try new models and ways of working and broadening our partnerships across the Pacific, and this webinar showed the importance of listening to Pacific voices and what their priorities are in terms of health.
The video of the 11th May webinar/ talanoa is available here. Access the presentation slides here.