Fiona Thomas [email protected]

A planned west Auckland medical centre seeks to bring Tongan values to a new part of the city.

Kelston Mall Medical Centre is due to open in April, owned and run by the Tongan Health Society.

The society already has two clinics across Auckland, one in Panmure and one in Onehunga, and chief executive, medical di­rector and GP Glenn Doherty says the new clinic increases the society’s footprint in Auckland.

Dr Doherty says the space in Kelston Mall became avail­able last year, and the location is close to several organisations the Tongan Health Society al­ready works with, including lo­cal schools, a Tongan early child­hood centre and two Tongan churches.

A number of clients are cur­rently travelling from west Auckland to the society’s other health centres across town.

An integrated family health centre, the new site will house allied health professionals, in­cluding physiotherapy, midwife­ry, chiropractors and laboratory services as well as establishing a working relationship with Kelston Pharmacy.

The medical centre will pro­vide a sublease to its dental part­ner, MaliMali Dental, which will be co-located, and Dr Doherty says radiology services are also on the cards.

While Tongan values will un­derpin the practice’s model of care, he says all of the society’s services are available to anyone.

Dr Doherty says the Tongan Health Society’s model of care looks at the socioeconomic de­terminants of wellbeing and fo­cuses on more than just health, helping clients with issues such as housing, employment, educa­tion and migration.

A big part of the work the soci­ety does involves assisting fami­lies to set goals and objectives, which aren’t always just health related.

Dr Doherty says the soci­ety would next like to extend its reach into south Auckland and has recently entered into a new contract with the National Hauora Coalition called Mana Kidz, a school-based health ser­vice for primary and intermedi­ate students.

The society is a member of Alliance Health Plus and the Kelston Mall clinic will fall under the Waitemata PHO and Alliance Health Plus collective.

There will be two doctors to start with at the clinic, which will also be a teaching practice for GP registrars and nursing students.

At this stage, it is difficult to tell how many people the clin­ic will serve, Dr Doherty says, but he would like to develop a register of around 2000 to 3000 patients.

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1 COMMENT

  1. ʻOku ʻikai ngofua ke hiki tatau pe cut and paste ʻa e ongoongó ni ʻo pulusi ʻi he Feisipuká. Ngāueʻaki pe ʻa e share button kuo faʻu ki he ngaahi mitia fakasōsialé. ʻOku ʻamanaki ʻa e Kanivá ʻe fakaʻapaʻapaʻi ʻa e kolé ni.

    ʻOku ʻi ai e fokotuʻutuʻu ki ha senitā faitoʻo maʻa e kakaí ki he uēsite ʻo ʻAokalaní ʻa ia ʻe hoko ʻeni ke aʻu atu ai ʻa e ʻulungāanga faka-Tongá ki ha konga foʻou he sití ni.

    ʻOku ʻamanaki ke fakaava ʻa e Kelston Mall Medical Centre ʻi ʻEpeleli ʻa ia ʻoku fakalele ʻeni ʻe he Sōsaieti Tonga ki he Moʻuí.

    Kuo ʻosi ʻi ai ha ongo kilīniki ʻe ua ʻa e sōsaietí ni ʻi ʻAokalani ʻa ia ko e taha ʻi Pēmiua pea taha ʻi ʻOnehunga.

    Kuo pehē ʻe he talēkita mo CEO ʻo e sōsaietí ni Dr. Glenn Doherty ʻoku fakalahi ʻe he kilīnikí ni e tuʻu ʻa e Sōsaieti Tonga ki he Moʻuí ʻi ʻAokalaní.

    Pehē ʻe Doherty ko e feituʻu ko ʻeni ʻi he Kelson Mall ne ʻatā ia ʻi he taʻu kuo ʻosí, pea ʻoku ofi ʻa e feituʻú ni ki he ngaahi kautaha ʻe niʻihi kuo nau ʻosi fengāueʻaki pe mo e Sōsaieti Tonga ki he Moʻuí kau ai ʻa e ngaahi ako he feituʻú ni, senitā Tonga ki he ako tokateú mo ha ongo siasi ʻe ua Tonga.

    ʻOku lolotonga ʻi ai ʻa e kau kalaieni ʻa e sōsaietí ʻoku nau fononga pe mei he uēsite ʻo ʻAokalaní ki he sōsaietí ni.

    Ko ha senitā foʻou ʻeni ki he moʻuí te ne fakatahatahaʻi e ngaahi fāmilí ka ko ha feituʻu foʻou ʻe fakatahataha ai e kau polofesinale ngāue he moʻuí kau ai ʻa e kau physiotherapy, midwifery, chiropractors mo e ngaahi sēvesi ki he lēpí pehē ki he fengāueʻaki mo e Faletalavai Kelston.

    ʻE toe lisi atu foki ʻe he senitā faitoʻó ni ha loki ki hono hoa ngāue he taʻaki ki he nifó ʻoku ʻiloa ko e Malimali Dental ʻa ia te na tuʻu fakataha pea ʻoku pehē foki ʻe Dr Doherty ʻe fakakau mai mo e fakaʻatá ki he ngaahi faifatongia ko ʻení.

    Lolotonga hono teke heni e ngaahi angafaka-Tongá ke sipingaʻaki e faifatongia ki he moʻuí ne ne pehē ʻoku ʻatā ʻa e ngaahi fakahoko fatongia ʻa e sōsaietí ni ki ha taha pe.

    Pehē ʻe Dr Doherty ko e mōtolo ʻa e Sōaieti Tonga ki he Moʻuí ki he tokangaekiná ʻoku tokanga ki he ngaahi meʻa fakasōsiale mo fakaʻekonōmika ʻokú kaungatonu ki he moʻuí mo tokanga foki ʻo ʻikai ki he moʻuí ʻataʻatā pe kae kau ai ʻa e tokoni ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻoku fepaki mo e kau kalaiení hangē ko e ʻīsiu ki he hausingí, ngāué, akó mo e maikuleisiní.

    Ko e konga lahi e ngāue ʻoku fai ʻe he sōsaietí ʻoku kau ai ʻa hono tokonia ʻa e ngaahi fāmilí ke ʻi ai haʻanau ngaahi taumuʻa ʻa ia ʻoku ʻikai ko e taafataha pe ʻeni ki he ngaahi meʻa fekauʻaki pe mo e moʻuí.

    Pehē ʻe Dr Doherty ko e ngaʻunu hoko ʻa e sōsaeití ngali ʻe fakalahi ki saute ʻAokalani pea kuó ne toki fakahoko ʻeni ha aleapau foʻou mo e National Hauora Coalition ʻa ia ʻoku ui ko e Mana Kidz, ko e akoʻanga ʻeni ʻoku fakatefito ʻi he ngaahi fatongia ki he moʻuí ki he ako palaimelí mo e ʻinitamitietí.

    ʻOku mēmipa ʻa e sōsaietí ʻi he Alliance Health Plus mo e Kelston Mall clinic ʻa ia ʻoku fakamalumalu ʻeni ʻi he Waitemata PHO mo e Alliance Health.

    Ko e ongo toketā ʻe ua ʻe kamataʻaki ʻa e kilīnikí ʻa ia ʻe toe hoko pe foki ʻeni ko ha akoʻanga ki he kau ako toketā mo ako nēsí.

    Ko e tuʻunga ko ē he taimi ní ʻoku faingataʻa ke tala pe ko e tokofiha e kakai ʻe fakahoko fatongia ki ai ʻa e kilīnikí, ko e lau ia ʻa Dr Doherty, mo ne pehē te nau feinga ke maʻu ha kau mahaki ʻe 2000 – 3000 ke lēsisita mai.