A Northland surgeon is addressing health disparities wāhine Māori face compared to non-Māori in research focused on breast cancer.
Dr Maxine Ronald was recently awarded $300,000 to boost breast cancer research over three years under the supervision of Hei Āhuru Mōwai Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa.
Ronald said inequalities and poor access to breast cancer services are some of the reasons behind the stark differences in survival rates between wāhine Māori and non-Māori.
“There are significant inequities there for Māori and for Pasifika women, which are really just unjust and unfair.
“It’s complex. There’s not just one reason why Māori experienced differences in survival from breast cancer, but some of it is to do with access to breast screening and to cancer services.”
She pointed out the gaps in the system where improvements need to be made.
“Some of those access issues are practical things to do with geography, to do with being able to get to the service to even knowing that those services exist.
“Then once wāhine Māori in the system, sometimes they experience discrimination, experience racism.”
Advocating for policy change
Ronald is the world’s only wāhine Māori consultant breast cancer surgeon and is aiming to influence policy changes and improve survival outcomes.
“A lot of the time, some of the research that is done just doesn’t get translated into a clinical and into a practical kind of practice. So that’s what we wanted to achieve.”
The figures show that wāhine Māori and Pasifika women are 35% more likely to develop breast cancer and face higher mortality rates than their non-Māori counterparts.
She said research reveals that some Māori prioritise their obligations to whānau over their health.
“For Māori that whakawhanaungatanga is really important and having a connection because of those kind of trust issues, and that’s just a key part of of te ao Māori.
“All of those kind of things which have a kind of intergenerational experience. It’s really kind of looking at a whole whānau, kind of approach to this issue.”