$2m in govt funding paid to Maori healers
Fairfax Media
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Maori traditional healers are being funded by the Ministry of Health at a cost of nearly $2 million a year.
They are the only alternative-treatment providers directly receiving public health dollars.
Rongoa is a traditional Maori system of healing that includes rakau rongoa (native herbal remedies), mirimiri (massage) and karakia (prayer), as well as spiritual support.
Deputy director-general of Maori health Teresa Wall said the ministry inherited 14 contracts for rongoa practitioners from the former regional health authorities. It had since contracted two more, with a total cost of $1.9 million a year.
A national body set up last year to oversee the professional development of rongoa services was given establishment funding of $200,000.
Wall said traditional Maori healing could not be viewed from the perspective of Western medicine, where people were prescribed something and expected to get better.
"The mere fact that people use rongoa and go back to the practitioners is testament that the services they are given are contributing to their wellbeing."
Healers were required to report to the ministry quarterly and submit an annual report, but the practitioners and their health outcomes were not reviewed. "It's not unusual to fund on outputs. It's extraordinarily difficult to report on outcomes," Wall said.
Rakau rongoa herbal remedies were not covered by the Medicines Act and the ministry did not require them to be tested as part of its funding policy.
"You would expect the practitioner and relationship with their patient would be the regulatory mechanism. If anything untoward happened, the client wouldn't go back," she said. "We have never had any evidence there's been any serious harm from rongoa."
New Zealand Skeptics chairwoman Vicki Hyde said she was concerned about some claims by Maori healers, such as the use of a kawakawa poultice to help fight lung cancer.
Other traditional Maori remedies had undergone scientific testing and were proven to be effective, she said.
"Obviously, we are concerned about the non-evidential end of things and the fact government spending is going on this," she said. "To put public health money into an area, you really need to make sure that what you are doing is something that works."
Health Cuts Hurt chairwoman Heather Carter supported funding for alternative therapies where they had been properly tested, but said funding only Maori healers was unfair.
"It's an unfortunate reflection of our politically correct society. Funding has to be for other forms of alternative healthcare as well, not just Maori," she said.
Rob McGowan, who has presented courses on identifying and collecting plants for rakau rongoa at Waikato University for 20 years, said there were "huge" amounts of research on some of these plants, "but it still doesn't have acceptance".
He supported government funding for rongoa practitioners, saying they often worked themselves ``to death'' and received little in return as clients traditionally gave koha (gifts or donations) for their services.
There was tension over how much control the ministry should get in return.
Tauranga-based researcher Dr Shaun Holt, author of Natural Remedies That Really Work: A New Zealand guide, said he was not aware of any research on the medicinal effects of rongoa.
``Certainly, if anything is being funded it should be based on good research.
``There's a real need for control because some people claiming to be traditional healers really aren't very knowledgeable.''
A spokesman for Maori medical practitioners' association Te Ora, Dr Rhys Jones, said he supported funding of rongoa as a way of addressing social, cultural and spiritual aspects of health.
He said more could be done to help mainstream doctors and rongoa practitioners work together to improve Maori health.
Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, said that despite Maori largely accepting Western concepts of health and illness, there was significant demand for rongoa.
The renewed interest in Maori healing was due to several factors including; the resurgence of all aspects of Maori culture, a loss of confidence in Western medicine, problems with access to health care for Maori and the perceived lack of a spiritual dimension in Western health services.
Health Minister Tony Ryall said the rongoa contracts were ``established over some time''.
``I have not been fully briefed on any of the individual programmes, so I cannot comment any further,'' he said.
Late last year, Environmental Science and Research was given funding to explore how to evaluate traditional Maori healing practices, including rongoa, and identify ``appropriate outcome measures''.
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For those of you who still think there is a case for funding the unproven touchy-feely alternatives take a look at today's media headlines. It appears that there are enough people in the community and Government who share our concerns about this alternative medicine or Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4826885a6009.html Quote: (ACC Minister Nick Smith) There were "legitimate questions" about the effectiveness of some alternative treatments, and the issue would be looked at as part of a broader ACC review,
Quote: (ACC Minister Nick Smith) "There's a contradiction, with the Ministry of Health saying they are not satisfied that they [Cam practitioners] are providing a real benefit for patients, while another arm of government is funding them."
Quote: Doctors say any treatment receiving government funding should be subject to the same rigorous standards as conventional medicine.
Quote: Christchurch GP Dr John Welch said the idea of integrating conventional and complementary medicine was a "fake proposition". "There can only be one sort of medicine that's shown to be effective and works and should be publicly funded," he said.
Quote: (Ministry of Health chief adviser on integrative care Dr David St George ) "There needs to be sufficient evidence of efficacy and effectiveness before a therapy can be considered for public funding," Quote: (Christchurch orthopaedic surgeon Graham Inglis) "We should be careful before the public sector starts purchasing too much more alternative medicine". "We can hardly afford the straight up and down practice at the moment, let alone alternative medicine."
"In the western sense"!?! of course not. Western is not the only perspective that needs to be considered. even the skeptics acknowledge that some traditional methods are effective. This is nz - not scotland, not germany. If health is the goal, then lets find effective ways of achieving it. Clearly the 'western' model does not deliver in all situations. Aotearoa/NZ is not a western country - never was, and only pretends to be by some johnny-come-latelys.
You can provide free vaccination programs, free mammograms, free cervical smears, but if people choose not to avail themselves of what is on offer then that is their choice, but let's not have them whine that they don't have access to healthcare and they feature poorly in the health statistics. I have a friend who is a modern, educated, reasonably young part Maori woman (and a registered nurse) who doesn't believe in any of it. She says, 'It is not the Maori way'. So what can you do ? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
Do a little bit more homework Ian2. Maori are not big participants in preventive heath programs, which is part of the reason why they have the worst health statistics. But what we don't spend on preventative health on Maori we more than make up for in treating chronic health problems in Maori. We are not saying Maori shouldn't receive a fair slice of the cake, and I am full of compassion, but what we are talking about here is not science or medicine in the western sense. It is unproven, unscientific, and as such you have to question its effectiveness (and cost effectiveness) and legitimacy in a cost driven health system.. As I said in an earlier post, if this were some non-Maori hands on healing therapy would we be having this discussion ? It is only the fact that it is Maori that it isn't dismissed as charlatanism. Well, I say that is exactly what it is.
Maori are tax payers, but generally draw less on the public purse for health related expenses. Why begrudge this crumb - at least it increases the number seeking health care. Where is the compassion in our community? Surely we don't need to so quickly condemn.
Well I guess the survey is pretty indicative of the depth of feeling. The people have spoken. So if the Government is going to cut back on expenditure it should not be health, law and order or education. This type of random, non core unsuported expenditure is one of the things that should go.
That is an interesting thought. The Treaty of Waitangi requires us as a country to work towards becoming "equal partners". Unfortunately, funding, legislation and populism reduces the possibility of a fair outcome. and any attempt to redress this gets slammed for being an example of 'favouritism'. we have a long way to go before we as a country are mature enough to see Maori and Pakeha as equal but different. The call for homogonized kiwis is sadly too loud. All power to the tino rangatiratanga movement. Equality does not need to mean same-ness!
Don't worry Karen; we'll keep reaching into the bottomless trough until the rest of you are mature enough to accept your place as equal partners in a modern forward thinking country. But if you want to live in the dark ages and practice stone age practices stop asking for handouts.
Its obvious in a country so rich in culture and unique in our history and landscape that what sets us apart from many countries around the world is our respect for the spiritual wellbeing of the indigeous peoples of our country. We have a national anthem celebrated in both languages followed very often with a haka!! We are unique, we are New Zealanders from Aotearoa. We celebrate the fact we have cultural differences and are an open to learn more about others..arent we??
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In answer to Dr D's question, Maori are actually a very proud race. What Dr D is suggesting is that all Maori are bludgers. Every single race has a percentage of good and a percentage of not so good. Maori have always and continue to be typecast as the stereotypical lazy, bludging nohoper kiwi. UNFAIR. To Ian, Western Medicine is Traditionally European. Maori don't get a choice in regard to that being funded. CF,I am sure Asians would have their traditional medicines supported in ASIA. I have used Rongoa and it worked for me. The Rongoa workers I dealt with were very good and they work just as hard as anyone else I know and harder than some. On going training is a part of their contract. There was no charge to me for their service. Western Doctors charge an outrageous fee and give patients 10-15 miutes per appointment. General Practices also recieve large amounts of funding in the form of Capitation.WHO IS CONNING WHO?!