Summarised by Centrist
Earlier this month, a Pākehā patient at Auckland’s North Shore Hospital requested not to be treated by Asian staff — a request the hospital granted.
Many decried it as racism. Yet, the Consumers’ Rights Code allows patients to express preferences for their medical providers. Journalist Graham Adams asks: is it acceptable for patients to choose medical staff based on race?
Adams states that New Zealand’s health system has policies supporting racial preferences in healthcare. Both Auckland and Otago medical schools have affirmative-action programmes that lower entry standards for Māori and Pasifika students to ensure more of them become doctors.
For example, Auckland University reserves 40% of its medical school slots for Māori and Pasifika students under the Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme (MAPAS).
This affirmative action is based on the belief that patients receive better care when treated by someone who shares their ethnicity.
Professor Warwick Bagg, Dean of Auckland’s Medical and Health Sciences, stated, “Cultural concordance between provider and patient leads to better health outcomes.” However, this raises questions about fairness.
Adams asks, “If it’s accepted that Māori and Pasifika benefit from ethnic compatibility, why shouldn’t a Pākehā patient believe the same about their health prospects?”
The debate also touches on the broader movement to “indigenise” New Zealand’s institutions.
The question remains whether this approach to healthcare is about achieving better health outcomes or advancing a political agenda.
