TALANOA Building a network of Pasifika health professionals in Australia: a community approach using talanoa

Abstract

This article is premised on the use of “talanoa” amongst several health professionals in the greater Sydney area to build a network of Pacific Islander (Pasifika) health professionals in Australia. Through talanoa, the group was able to document a snapshot of Pasifika health professionals working in Australia at the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This was also partially in response to Pasifika population groups in Australia having the lowest proportion of vaccinations at the time. Studies have shown that for Pasifika population groups, language, cultural difference, health literacy, discrimination, social isolation and low income  are contributing factors that often prevent Pasifika population groups from accessing medical healthcare, as cited by Sa’u Lilo et al. in their review in NZ.¹¹ During the global pandemic, these factors were also considered a likely cause of low vaccination rates.

Creating a network of Pasifika health professionals beyond COVID-19 creates a foundation where barriers in accessing healthcare can be addressed. This article unpacks the processes in a form of talanoa using Pasifika words of wisdom or metaphors to illustrate phases of the journey of creating the network.