Indigenous Health

This year we have seen a continuation of gains in some important health indicators. The first report against the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework showed some areas of improvement, such as declining mortality rates for Indigenous Australians (ie. all-cause, infant, perinatal, circulatory disease, hospitalisation for pneumonia). Unfortunately, there are also areas that remain unchanged or are worsening, such as deaths caused by chronic diseases other than cardiovascular disease, hospitalisation for injury and poisoning, rates of end-stage kidney disease, chronic ear disease, oral health and some sexually transmissible infections. The report found that, although the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is improving, large disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians persist. In fact the relative gap between the two populations is widening because the rate of improvement in some areas has been greater for non-Indigenous Australians over recent years.9

New initiatives that were introduced this year include Health@Home Plus and Family Centred Primary Health Care as well as the emergency response to protect Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory which was announced on 21 June 2007. These initiatives build on the support for the child health check which has been promoted by a range of high profile Indigenous advocates through the National Child Health Check Roadshow. The Council of Australian Governments’ Accelerated Rollout of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Health Check in May 2006 helps to ensure prevention, early diagnosis and management of disease for Indigenous children up to 14 years of age. It is anticipated there will be further improvements in health outcomes for many Indigenous individuals and families.

The progressive roll-out of Opal fuel and the subsequent reduction of petrol sniffing and its disastrous effects has continued and will have an ongoing beneficial effect on communities.

Another area that has been a challenge is the delivery of renal dialysis services to many patient groups, especially in Central Australia. Patient numbers threaten to overwhelm the capacity of the staff and facilities to deliver services, and there is a need to have these services much closer to the communities. In September 2006, I convened a meeting of all interested clinicians in Central Australia and we had a highly productive roundtable in Alice Springs. As a result, there has been a lot of progress and the Department is working with the Northern Territory, South Australian and Western Australian health departments to expand and improve current models of service delivery and care for renal patients.

This year saw the first ‘eye health blitz’ take place when a team of medical staff provided eye surgery to 41 patients with blinding cataract disease and restored their sight. As one grateful man commented, it returned his manhood, as he could now see and thus could hunt and be independent. This initiative involved the Department working in partnership with the Fred Hollows Foundation, the Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services, the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation and the Eye Foundation.

9 Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council 2006 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework: 2006 Report. Canberra: AHMAC.