Tairāwhiti rangatahi Lena Keenan inspired to improve healthcare in rural communities

Keenan, who is of Rongomaiwahine and Ngāti Porou descent, was able to help on a day when the MSU was opened to the public and demonstrations were held to show what it could do. Afterwards, chief executive Mark Eager asked if she would be interested in work experience aboard MSU for a week.

“I knew it was an amazing opportunity and so I took advantage,” she said.

Keenan’s interest in pursuing a career in healthcare comes from witnessing healthcare professionals in their workplaces and from his own experiences in the hospital, attending numerous pediatric and medical appointments for severe allergies and skin conditions while growing up.

She was also present at many of her grandmother Lena Te Rina Koiauruiterangi Hussey’s recovery surgeries.

With each recovery, Lena sang waiata to her grandmother and helped reassure her.

“She used to call me medicine,” she said.

Along with that, her grandmother recently “made a new friend.” That friend is Demi, also known as dementia.

“Your friend Demi is an approach we as a family have taken to better support her in dealing with her recent diagnosis,” she said.

As Keenan grew older, she began to pay more attention to the lack of consistent medical care on the East Coast.

She realized how unfamiliar “out of town” doctors were with people’s whakapapa as she grew up understanding that being aware of a person’s whakapapa is essential.

“Especially when providing them with health care.”

Realizing this, Keenan started thinking about what he could do. She began thinking about a career in healthcare that would help provide Tairāwhiti with consistent healthcare.

“I find joy in supporting others and seeing my community thrive because I know our community is only as strong as the people who care for it.”

Keenan’s bus experience began on a Monday in Te Puia Springs, with dental care for tamariki (children) from across Tairāwhiti.

“I was put in a uniform to look the part,” she said.

Keenan thought she would just observe all week, but she was given the role of dental assistant, working closely with a dentist and the rest of her team.

“After getting my hands dirty, I started to feel the role.”

They stayed in Te Puia until that Tuesday afternoon before leaving for Dannevirke, arriving on Thursday, when she had the opportunity to have colonoscopies and gastroscopies.

Keenan’s job was to take patients to the recovery room after surgery. She took this as an opportunity to get to know each patient, hoping that it would make them feel a sense of comfort in the situation they found themselves in. Then on Friday they headed to Featherston for more dental work.

Ngāti Porou Oranga chief health officer (NPO), Sonya Smith, said the surgeries carried out had contributed to reducing waiting lists and maintaining access to care.

“NPO wants to grow even more, so we are excited to see Lena take the opportunity to gain more experience and learning,” said Smith.

“The mobile surgical service, along with its teaching programs, is an important cog in the wheel of rural healthcare in Aotearoa.”

Eager said Aotearoa faced a significant challenge with a shortage of healthcare professionals, especially in rural communities.

“There is no quick fix, but we believe the key is to foster a passion for healthcare in our rangatahi (young people) at an early stage,” he said.

Eager said it’s important to show that paths to becoming a healthcare professional are viable no matter where they come from.

“In the long term, if Lena continues on this journey through medical training, we can imagine her returning home, contributing to her iwi and, ultimately, giving back to our rural areas where these skills are so desperately needed,” he said .

Keenan said he loved working with the team at the facility and it gave him confidence in pursuing his chosen career.

Matai O’ConnorNgāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and a Kaupapa Māori reporter on Gisborne Herald for two years.