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National | Dr Shane Reti

How will Māori health authority be funded? - Dr Shane Reti

Dr Shane Reti joins National's front row at number five.

He replaces Michael Woodhouse as health spokesperson.

Dr Reti says that his time as a GP in the north, a skin specialist in Wales and work at Harvard make him ideal for the role.

"My contribution is to bring many years of experience in the health sector," Reti says.

"I've delivered people's babies. I'm still the only prescribing doctor in Parliament."

That came in handy last year when Shane Jones was hospitalised for exhaustion. Reti was the first doctor on the scene, helping Jones until an ambulance arrived.

He keeps a medical kit close so he can render aid to his fellow parliamentarians when needed.

While he is happy the recent Simpson Report, which reviewed the public health system, addressed inequalities in health, he is concerned the proposed Māori Health Authority may not have funds to distribute.

"That's (funding) actually where the authority lies - where you can do something, where you have funding to operationalise the policies you are creating," Dr Reti says.

Another concern he raised was love how the authority would be funded.

"It's also not clear to me if the health arm of Whānau Ora, will be cannibalised and moved into this new authority."

If that's the case, Dr Reti does not approve.

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