Pasifika Integrated Family Medical Centre

Pasifika Integrated Family Medical Centre

Pasifika Family Medical Centre was officially opened on 23 June 2007 by the then Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, Honorable Mark Gosche.

Prior to opening for business, the preparation was done at break-neck speed that began with the development of a business plan in January 2007 for the purpose of accessing the Pacific Provider Development Fund (PPDF) at Waitemata District Health Board. After a lot of focused and persistent advocacy and representation by Dahlia Naepi, Director, the application was subsequently approved in early 2007.

An indicator of the Directors’ total commitment to the new service, and particularly Dahlia Naepi, the renovation costs for the Ground Floor, 1 Nile Road to operate from were paid for by Pasifika Integrated Health Care Ltd (PIHC Ltd). PIHC Ltd is deservedly regarded as the ‘parent company’, and the medical centre, trading as Pasifika Integrated Family Medical Centre Ltd (PIFMC Ltd) is its ‘offspring.’ Whilst the work on the property was carried out, acquisition of key personnel to deliver the GP (general practitioner) services, nursing and administration were also hired.

Staff members were brought on board before the opening date to work on the preparatory work were– one each of doctor, practice nurse, office administrator and a project manager on contract basis. These staff members were continued to be employed after the opening date. Key to the preparatory work was the development of policies and procedures, and these were done based on the required standards and practices set by the health sector professionals.

The period of this report is to 30 November 2008, and one that was characterized by:

Full staff commitment to deliver high quality primary services, and with the realization that quality service would attract and retain clients (patients).

Delivering the service to the targeted population, which is Pasifika that prompted the directors to establish a Pasifika-owned medical centre in North Shore was a risk due to the small size of this population segment. However, it was strategically smart to attract a Pasifika doctor (Tuvalu) as an employee with directorship/shareholding interest in the medical centre. Being cared for by a Tuvalu/Pasifika doctor meant that distance from Waitakere City is not a barrier – a true indicator of the caliber of Dr Esela Natano, and his team of Teuluaki McQuarrie (Senior Practice Nurse, Tuvalu), Rachel Saka (Practice Nurse, Samoa) and Elaine Tagaloa (Administrator/Patients Officer, Samoa).

Signing up to ProCare as the Primary Health Organisation (PHO) was also strategically smart as this organization is well established and it ‘knows its business’ in the primary health care sector.

Active marketing of the centre to promote its services to wider population of North Shore, and couple with the recently employment of a ‘palagi’ (Russian) doctor, the medical centre is achieving this.