Uo mo aso uma, a o uso mo aso vale: Lessons from Aotearoa physiotherapists responding to disasters within the Pacific

Abstract

New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, 50(3), 150-158. https://doi.org/10.15619/NZJP/50.3.06 Key Words: Disaster, Measles, Pacific, Physiotherapist, Samoa INTRODUCTION The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) defines a disaster as "a serious disruption of functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses, which exceeds its ability to cope using its own resources" (United Nations, 2009). UNDRR's definition of disaster mandates the involvement of local and international health professionals in providing humanitarian assistance during periods of societal disruption. Since World War I, physiotherapists have played a critical role in providing physical rehabilitation during global conflicts and disasters, and were focused initially on the provision of physiotherapy on an individual level (Linker, 2005). The increasingly significant size of the Pacific population in Aotearoa New Zealand, the shared history between Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and the ongoing sense of responsibility to the Pacific region, mean that the health and wellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealand will always be linked to the health status of Pacific peoples (New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine, 2019). Weaving these cultural contexts, world views, and understandings of holistic health and wellbeing (all of which are tightly linked to family, community, and the environment) into the delivery of health services is recognised to be fundamental to quality care for Pacific peoples (Ministry of Health, 2008).