The challenge of providing child health care in the indigenous population of New Zealand.
This paper defines who is Maori, and traditional Maori attitudes to health and children. It notes the differing levels of engagement of Maori with their culture and the reliance of most Maori on Non Maori practitioners for their medical services. Three relatively common paediatric problems are then used to illustrate the challenges of neither underplaying nor overplaying environmental factors in working with Maori families. The key role of the word respect in working towards positive encounters with Maori is emphasized.
Buchanan
Leo
L
Hutt Hospital, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. leobuchanan@xtra.co.nz
Malcolm
John
J
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D002662:Child Health Services; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D044382:Population Groups; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections