Symposium focuses on health inequalities
A recent symposium on health inequalities was an “overwhelming success,” says organising committee member Anna Matheson.
The one-day symposium, held in Wellington last month, was attended by about 285 people. Anna says it provided a forum for a broad inter-sectoral discussion of the health and social implications of policy developments and interventions aimed at reducing health inequalities.
“We had speakers from a range of disciplines and backgrounds presenting on a variety of issues related to health inequalities. The focus was on the relationship between evidence, knowledge, implementation and outcomes.”
The conference was divided into four sections. In the first section, Drs Papaarangi Reid, Deborah Ryan and Tony Blakely gave presentations on socio-economic and ethnic inequalities. In the second section, the speakers were David Slack, Susan St John and Associate-Professor Michael Belgrave. “These speakers were all from disciplines outside of the health sector, in order to expand the discussion about rights, needs and inequalities,” Anna says.
The third section looked at some of the frameworks that could be used to address inequalities.
“The speakers here were Drs Peter Crampon and Julia Carr and Associate-Professor Philippa Howden Chapman. The final section heard from those involved in the provision of services where efforts were being made to address health inequalities, and speakers included Olivia James from Otara Health, Dr Kathy James and others from the Newtown Union Health. Sir Paul Reeves chaired the day and Geoff Fougere provided a summing up.”
Anna says feedback from the conference has been extremely positive. “We are in the process of negotiating with publishers to have an edited book published based on the symposium. The organising committee is also meeting to discuss other ways in which we may build on the momentum and success of the day.”
The symposium was sponsored by SPEaR, the Health Research Council, Capital and Coast District Health Board, and the Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago.
Symposium proceedings will soon be available on www.spear.govt.nz.
