23 March 2005
Plunket clinics still popular with Waikato families
A visit to a local Plunket clinic remains a popular choice for most new families using Plunket in the Waikato area,
according to new figures released on the organisation’s services.
The information takes a comprehensive look at Plunket’s well child health activity in the Waikato District Health Board
area for the six months to 31 December 2004.1
Plunket nurses made 18,507 contacts locally during this time, an increase of 5027 on the same six-month period in 2003.
Of the contacts made, 9824 (53%) were at Plunket clinics, up from 7490 in 2003. 8260 (45%) were through home visits and
423 (2%) were through visits to places like early childhood centres, Kohanga Reo and Marae.
A national comparison for the same six month period shows that 52% of Plunket contacts were through home visits, 41%
through clinic visits and 6% through other centres.
Plunket operates 28 clinics in the Waikato DHB area.
“Generations of families are familiar with Plunket clinics. Not only are they a popular choice for checking out the
health and progress of children, but they remain a great meeting place for parents and caregivers,” says Colleen
Fakalogotoa, Plunket’s General Manager – Operations.
The figures show that Maori and Pacific Island children accounted for 38% (7105) of the 18,500 contacts made by Plunket
in the Waikato DHB area.
“Positive community relationships are the key for Plunket and it is heartening to see this working. An example of this
is Maori and Pacific Island breastfeeding rates which now compare more favourably with other groups of the population,”
says Mrs Fakalogotoa.
The figures show that in the six months to 31 December, 60% of all babies in the Waikato DHB area were exclusively
breastfed2 at six weeks of age, compared with the national figure of 51%. At six weeks, 51% of Maori babies, 67% of
Pacific Island babies and 63% of Asian babies in the area were exclusively breastfed.
ENDS