Recovery

Further information can be found in NEAC’s publication Ethics and Equity: Resource allocation and COVID-19. This resource addresses equity in resource allocation and prioritisation. The framework offers high-level guidance for the health and disability sector and aims to help health workers and policy makers consider ethics when deciding how to allocate resources. It can be found on the NEAC website at

https://neac.health.govt.nz/publications-and-resources/neac-publications/ethics-and-equity-resource-

allocation-and-covid-19.

Continuity of care

Any response to COVID-19 also needs to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi. For example, it should work alongside public health teams to ensure the annual influenza programme will help increase flu vaccinations for Māori and extend financial security to Māori and disability health providers to ensure they can maintain their services and provide continuity of care for the community both during and after a pandemic.394

Recovery

Future emergency preparedness

Marginalised groups, such as disabled people, must be included in the design of future emergency preparedness and implementation efforts. When developing approaches for future preparedness, it is important to take account of learnings from other emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the certain exacerbation of pre-existing resource allocation inequities in terms of housing, hospital beds and other resources that are already seen as scarce in non-pandemic situations.

Living with long-term disabilities or the effects of a pandemic

Those who suffer detrimental effects to aspects of their health and wellbeing as a result of an emergency may need long-term recovery support. For example, the political intervention of temporarily solving inequities in times of crisis (for instance, finding housing for the homeless so they could meet the requirements of the alert level 4 lockdown) improved overall health and wellbeing outcomes. However, caution needs to be taken in regard to discontinuing supports such as temporary housing during the recovery period of a crisis as this can contribute to further inequities.

Some individuals may also suffer long-term or lifelong health effects from infection during a pandemic that may impact their wellbeing and ability to participate in work and activities they enjoy. For example, people can develop respiratory issues, long COVID or historical effects from public health crises such as polio. Care should be taken to ensure that individuals adversely affected in the long term are not directly or indirectly discriminated against or excluded because of the impacts on them, and efforts should be made to increase the resilience of individuals suffering long-term effects to ensure that no one is neglected.

Use of data

Data collection during a pandemic can inform improvements of national and local responses to future pandemics. It is important that data collected for the emergency and response phases of a pandemic is kept safe and only used ethically and in a de-identified format where consent was not given for other uses of that data.