The Medical Council is calling on non-Māori and Māori doctors to work together to address issues of inequality tāngata whenua face in the health system.
The Medical Council wants to do more to support Māori doctors take on leadership roles. Photo: 123RF
It has been 10 years since the council published its standards on cultural competency - however, a decade on, Māori still have poorer health statistics compared to non-Māori.
The council's chair, Andrew Connolly, said one significant way the profession could help improve equality was by supporting Māori doctors in their advocacy and leadership roles within the profession and in their tribal communities.
"The council wants to see the profession and all the various professional bodies that make up medicine to take a stock take of where we are at, with supporting our Māori colleagues, engaging with them and engaging with Māori patients, and seeing that we're doing the best we can to get the best outcomes for everyone."
Mr Connolly said that the council saw health inequities as unacceptable and, from this, arose professional and moral obligations to address inequity.