Eye Care Boost for 106 Remote Indigenous Communities
Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, announced new or expanded services will be delivered to 106 rural and remote Indigenous communities under a $6.5 million boost to an Australian Government eye health program.
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17 May 2010
Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, today announced new or expanded services will be delivered to 106 rural and remote Indigenous communities under a $6.5 million boost to an Australian Government eye health program.
Mr Snowdon said the funding covers costs for optometrists to provide services to many remote Indigenous communities across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, under the boost to the Visiting Optometrists Scheme. (See list attached).
“This scheme is vital to improve eye health care in remote and very remote Indigenous communities because it will mean we can provide more locations, more visits, and more services.
“We know that the rate of blindness in Indigenous adults is more than six times higher than non-Indigenous Australians and what’s more concerning is that much of this vision loss is preventable,” Mr Snowdon said.
“This work will help pay for more optometrists to travel to communities to do comprehensive eye health checks, which lead to the identification, and treatment where possible, of eye conditions and diseases.
“This will range from identifying problems such as trachoma, which is a contagious bacterial eye infection that can cause blindness, to providing prescriptions for glasses, or referring patients to an ophthalmologist for possible surgery,” he said.
“We know that when people have healthy eyes, this not only increases their confidence, it also gives them more opportunity to participate in education and employment,” Mr Snowdon said.
The first new services under the expanded scheme commenced on 15 April 2010 in Smithton, Tasmania, and others will commence as soon as funding agreements are finalised with participating optometrists. Services will continue to roll out as part of the four year measure.
This additional funding is part of $58.3 million the Australian Government has committed to target the early detection and treatment of eye and ear health conditions amongst the Indigenous population, under the Improving Eye and Ear Health Services for Indigenous Australians for Better Education and Employment Outcomes measure.
Mr Snowdon made the announcement at a Vision 2020 Australia workshop being held in Adelaide today, as he launched a report on the availability and effectiveness of current Indigenous eye health services.
The report, Provision of Indigenous Eye Health Services, was prepared by Professor Hugh Taylor and Emma Stanford of the Indigenous Eye Health Unit, Melbourne School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne.
Mr Snowdon said the report built upon the 2009 National Indigenous Eye Health Survey, that was partly funded by the Australian Government and which had also been undertaken by the Indigenous Eye Unit.
“As the first comprehensive study of its kind in 30 years, it was a wake-up call for all concerned by Indigenous health disadvantage. The Australian Government is committed to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in all areas, including eye health, and we will examine the suggestions generated by the report with interest.”
The report launched today brings together the results of the National Indigenous Eye Health Survey, Medicare data on access to and distribution of current eye health services, a systematic review of the use of retinal photography to detect diabetic eye disease, and national trachoma surveillance data.
The authors plan to use the report to generate policy recommendations to improve the quality and sustainability of eye care services for Indigenous Australians.
Photo of Minister observing eye examination available at:
www.flickr.com/photos/warrensnowdon
Media contact: Alice Plate 0400 045 999
Background to Visiting Outreach Scheme
The Visiting Optometrists Scheme currently services 276 locations across Australia and aims to improve the access of people living and working in rural and remote communities to optometric services.
The scheme supports optometrists’ travel, accommodation and meals, facility fees, administrative support, external locum support at the home practice, and the lease and transport of equipment to an outreach location.
In addition, an absence-from-practice allowance will be available to compensate optometrists for ‘loss of business opportunity’ due to the time spent traveling to and from an outreach location to deliver supported services.
Priority locations under the Visiting Outreach Scheme
New services will be established in the bulk of the locations listed below. Those communities not immediately able to be serviced will be targeted for additional service provision in the near future.
State /Territory | Priority Location |
NT | Adelaide River |
NT | Ali Curung |
NT | Alyangula |
NT | Ampilatwatj |
NT | Angurugu |
NT | Apatula (Finke) |
NT | Areyonra |
NT | Barunga |
NT | Batchelor |
NT | Belyuen |
NT | Beswick |
NT | Borroloola |
NT | Bulla |
NT | Daly River |
NT | Docker River |
NT | Elliot |
NT | Galiwinku |
NT | Gapuwiyak |
NT | Jabiru |
NT | Jilkminggan |
NT | Kalkarindji |
NT | Kildirk |
NT | Kintore |
NT | Lajamanu |
NT | Lake Nash |
NT | Laramba |
NT | Laynapuy Homelands |
NT | Maningrida |
NT | Manyellaluk |
NT | Mataranka |
NT | Milikapiti |
NT | Milingimbi |
NT | Mount Liebig |
NT | Mutitjulu |
NT | Nguiu |
NT | Numbulwar |
NT | Oenpelli |
NT | Papunya |
NT | Peppimenarti |
NT | Pirlangimpi |
NT | Ramingining |
NT | Santa Teresa |
NT | Ti Tree (Anmatjere) |
NT | Timber Creek |
NT | Titjikala |
NT | Umbakumba |
NT | Urapuntja (Utopia) |
NT | Wadeye |
NT | Wurrawi |
NT | Yuendumu |
WA | Burringurrah |
WA | Coolgardie |
WA | Coonana |
WA | Cosmo Newberry |
WA | Cue |
WA | Kambalda |
WA | Karalundi |
WA | Kookynie |
WA | Laverton |
WA | Leinster |
WA | Leonora |
WA | Meekatharra |
WA | Menzies |
WA | Mt Magnet |
WA | Mt Margaret |
WA | Mullewa |
WA | Pia Wadjari |
WA | Sandstone |
WA | Tjuntjuntara |
WA | Wiluna |
WA | Yalgoo |
WA | Yulga Jinna |
Qld | Charters Towers |
Qld | Cherbourg |
Qld | Chillagoe |
Qld | Palm Island |
Qld | Woorabinda |
NSW | Balranald |
NSW | Coolabah |
NSW | Dareton |
NSW | Deniliquin |
NSW | Euston |
NSW | Hay |
NSW | Menindee |
NSW | Moulamein |
NSW | Pilliga |
NSW | Weilmoringle |
NSW | Wentworth |
NSW | Wilcannia |
SA | Amata |
SA | Coober Pedy |
SA | Copley |
SA | Fregon |
SA | Indulkana |
SA | Marree |
SA | Meningie |
SA | Mimili |
SA | Murray Bridge |
SA | Nyapari |
SA | Pika Wiya |
SA | Pipalyatjara |
SA | Point Pearce |
SA | Roxby Downs |
SA | Umuwa |
SA | Whyalla |
SA | Yalata |
Vic | Echuca |
Vic | Lake Tyers |
Vic | Mildura |
Vic | Orbost |
Vic | Robinvale |
Vic | Swan Hill |
Tas | Nubeena |
Tas | Smithton |
Tas | Triabunna |
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