1News revealed on Wednesday night one Pasifika couple with severe Covid-19 symptoms had to call an ambulance themselves from the Ellerslie quarantine facility to get admitted to Auckland City Hospital. 

In another incident last week, one Pasifika mother and her children were left for hours without food while in quarantine in Ellerslie with Covid-19. 

In another case, a Pacific family of 11 were left without food for most of a day after not being given breakfast or lunch. 

When they complained, they were told the fruit they’d been given the night before was meant to be for breakfast. 

1News has also been told the trays of food served in quarantine facilities are only left outside the door for a short time. That means, in some cases, when a person with Covid-19 is sleeping as they try to recover from the virus, they end up missing out. 

The high level of concern mean the Pasifika Futures agency approached the Government, proposing they step in to provide support and deliver solutions for their own people. 

The organisation is now supporting 328 Pasifika who have tested positive for Covid-19, as well as their families. They will be providing wraparound services, including checking in on patients, in their own language, over the phone. 

“One of our processes is to say to people, ‘If you’re having a problem, if there’s a challenge, let us know and we will deal with that as quickly as we can,’” Pasifika Futures’ Debbie Sorensen said. 

The move is being applauded by Pasifika social and medical providers, who have been fielding calls for help from families in MIQ. 

Tevita Funaki, CEO of The Fono, said it was “critical” that there were Pasifika working at MIQ facilities who could communicate with their own communities.

“There is a sense of comfort when you go in and the clinicians and people that are actually working with you looks like you [and] understands who you are,” he said. 

There’s already evidence of success when Covid-19-related services are led by Pasifika, for Pasifika. 

In May, The Fono opened West Auckland’s first Pacific-focused Covid-19 vaccination centre. It aimed to give the local Pacific community access to vaccines in a setting that is culturally comfortable and familiar. 

Now, Tongan-speaking medical staff are aiming to jab 1000 people a day at the facility. 

“This is actually important because this is actually the ambulance at the top of the cliff,” Funaki said. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged there was “very little room for error” in MIQ facilities, so it had to cater for any cultural differences. 

Sourced from 1 News