Northland Medical Officer of Health back from Sierra Leone

Dr Clair Mills is used to tending to emergency medicine and disease on a global scale and also dealing with serious public health issues in one of New Zealand's most economically strained and disadvantaged areas. A recent Salvation Army report found that Maori who live in regional areas such as Northland and Gisborne are getting what it described as a 'bad deal' and were identified as being the most dangerous regions to live in terms of social hazards and safety. Dr Mills says the range of public health issues facing her region is broad and and efforts to tackle them are constantly being developed and implemented. From what she sees on the frontline, the most pressing needs are for housing, employment and economic development. Dr Mills is also used to quite different frontlines. She has previously been on several missions working in Africa and some of the world hotspots for Médecins Sans Frontières. Earlier this year she worked in Sierra Leone with medical teams treating Ebola patients.