Tairāwhiti rangatahi Lena Keenan hopes to one day help fill the gaps in the health system by providing consistent care along the East Coast.
This dream is becoming reality for the Year 13 Tolaga Bay Area School student after spending a week experiencing first-hand what it’s like to perform surgeries and care for patients on the Mobile Surgery Unit – Te Waka Hauora.
The Mobile Surgery Unit (MSU) is a fully equipped operating theatre that is built to be used for a range of day surgeries. It travels across Aotearoa, providing equitable access to health services to those living rurally.
It has been to Te Puia Springs twice in the last year and its crew has worked with Ngāti Porou Oranga and Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti after an eight-year hiatus in the region.
Keenan, of Rongomaiwahine and Ngāti Porou descent, was able to help on a day when the MSU was open to the public and demonstrations were held to show what it could do. Afterwards, Mobile Health chief executive Mark Eager asked if she would be interested in work experience on board the MSU for a week.
“I knew that it was an amazing opportunity and so I took it,” she said.
Read the full story on the NZ Herald website.
Image courtesy of NZ Herald.