For many families in the Gisborne region, accessing dental and eye care remains a significant challenge due to financial constraints and limited local services.
In response, Tūranga Health has recruited 36 specialists from Australia to provide free oral and eye care exams.
The initiative comes as Ministry of Health data reveals that the number of emergency department visits in Gisborne was higher than the national average between 2017 and 2020.
Tūranga Health CEO Reweti Ropiha said early intervention is key to reversing this trend.
“We’re working to get ahead of the issue, providing care right in the backyards of Gisborne,” Ropiha said. “The goal is to create meaningful change alongside whānau.”
Julia Parker, a dental specialist involved in the programme, said the initiative has been mutually beneficial for both patients and providers.
“We all know how expensive dentistry can be, but other major barriers include time and location,” Parker said. “In Te Tai Rāwhiti, access to dental care is limited, so we’re doing everything we can to remove those obstacles.”
Wayne Hogan, project manager for OneSight Foundation—Tūranga Health’s partner in the initiative—highlighted the global need for such programmes.
“There are 2.1 billion people worldwide without access to eye care,” Hogan said. “Even here, just a block away, there are people who don’t receive the eye care they need. That’s what our foundation is working to change.”
Ropiha says while personal health is key to being prepared for the coming winter months, insuring homes are warm and dry is also an important step for vulnerable families.
“We’re doing opticians, we’re doing dentists, we’ve been doing flu vaccines.”
“We’ve been doing firewood, we’ve been doing home insulation which we classify as part of winter preparedness.”
“The teams have come here, we are going to lay out our whāriki, give them a great experience, so when they depart, they also get a different lens.”
