Fund Health

Enhancing Health Care Access in the Pacific Islands

Pacific region Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau 2016

Pacific · regional

Preparing the successful proposal for a Pacific medical-treatment scheme covering referrals, visiting specialists and local capability.

The challenge

New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to facilitating medical treatment and health services for the Pacific Islands, bolstering local health professionals through training and capacity building to improve care in small island developing states. Counties Manukau Health (CMH), Te Whatu Ora, serves a significant Pasifika population and holds contracts to support the Pacific. In 2016 it was well placed to tender for the MFAT-funded Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS) across Kiribati, Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, but its Pacific Health Department team was inexperienced with Requests for Proposal (RFP).

How we worked

The Pacific Health Department team enlisted Kirsty Burnett, whose successful track record with tender preparations made her an ideal partner. Kirsty assembled a robust response by integrating technical inputs, showcasing CMH's capacity, and detailing the resource needs and costings. With her experience at MFAT and the United Nations, Kirsty brought invaluable insights into what makes a tender successful, ensuring CMH's proposal met the stringent criteria of funders.

Outcomes

Outcomes for CMH The effort resulted in CMH securing a multi-year contract worth NZD15 million. This contract supported overseas patient referrals, provided visiting health specialists, and strengthened in-country capacity, all funded by MFAT. The well-prepared RFP also allowed MFAT to engage in a transparent and competitive selection process, simplifying contract negotiations.

Additional benefit for MFAT During the COVID-19 pandemic, MFAT benefited from CMH's access to wider New Zealand public health responses and knowledge, and from the dedication of a team who navigated the Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) process for Pacific Islanders eligible to travel to New Zealand for medical treatment. CMH also engaged with Take My Hands to source surplus and new medical equipment and supplies to support training activities and service delivery. Based on the success of Take My Hands's work, Future Partners provides a regular monthly donation to support their ongoing work.

Client feedback "Kirsty and Junior were rigorous in their approach, ensuring our RFP was top-notch. Their understanding of the Pacific context and ability to merge development expertise with practical realities made them invaluable partners. Working with them was also enjoyable, filled with shared laughter." — Elizabeth Powell, former General Manager of Pacific Health

Enhancing Health Care Access in the Pacific Islands

The challenge

How we worked

Outcomes

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