Over the past 18 months The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners’ Pasifika GPs have been paramount in the drive to address health inequities associated with COVID-19 in their communities.
On top of their already heavy workloads, our Pasifika GPs have been swabbing and vaccinating at pop-up sites around the country, and the College’s Pasifika Chapter have been actively engaging with the MIQ medical team to help support the families in MIQ who have been affected by the Delta outbreak.
College President Dr Samantha Murton says, "Supporting the health and wellbeing of our patients and their families is our priority as GPs, but it is all too common for those of us on the frontline to put ourselves at the back of the queue, and not focus on how we’re feeling, especially during these challenging times."
Le Va is a wellbeing hub for Pasifika families, and the College is thrilled to partner with them to bring Fatu o le Ola, a Pacific approach to wellbeing, to our Pasifika GPs.
Le Va brings a unique offering of evidence-based and co-designed resources, tools and knowledge with culturally robust content to best serve Pasifika communities.
Denise Kingi-U’lu’ave, chief executive of Le Va says, "We are very privileged to partner with the College to serve those who serve us. By providing an avenue for our GPs to talanoa about their own mental wellbeing, we are collaborating towards a healthier outcome for all."
Dr Monica Liva, Chair of the College’s Pasifika Chapter says, "As Pasifika GPs we put our heart into our work. We are very excited at this opportunity to have Le Va support the wellbeing of our Pasifika GPs so that we can continue to serve our families and communities with a full heart. Le Va’s services will help our us carry out our wellbeing talanoa in a culturally safe environment."
"We know we’ll feel refreshed after we’ve stopped to take a break, and we tell our patients to do it all the time too. Let’s take our own advice," says Dr Murton.
Read more about Le Va.