The Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (AFPHM), a division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), today released the recommendations and outcomes of Finding Solutions That Work, a forum held in August this year which examined how public health physicians can improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
AFPHM President Professor George Rubin said the workshop brought together more than 100 health professionals and Indigenous leaders from around Australia.
“Considering Indigenous health more broadly, AFPHM asked the question: what do we know from experience can be done to improve the health of Indigenous Australians?” he said.
“The outcomes document provides a summary of the workshop, explores a number of successful strategies and concludes with a set of recommendations.
“By far the strongest message from the workshop was the need to look beyond traditional clinical solutions to resolve the poor health outcomes of Indigenous Australians. One clear goal is to close the life expectancy gap. Health measures must be accompanied by investment in education, housing and increased rates of employment in order to achieve sustained health improvement.
“Of similar importance for workshop participants was the need for involvement of Aboriginal people in the decision making process. A top down approach of imposed measures will not nurture the capacity of communities to reach and maintain acceptable levels of wellbeing. The progress of communities should be mentored and monitored by public health physicians who will only intervene when in consultation and collaboration with the communities themselves.
“There is a lack of clarity for the medical community regarding the terminology employed by the Government in mounting this intervention. The declaration of an emergency implies a sudden and unexpected occurrence which requires an immediate response. Yet the situation in the NT is neither sudden nor unexpected.
“With Indigenous infant mortality rates hovering around three times the levels of non-Indigenous children, and a life expectancy gap of over twenty years, this is clearly an ongoing crisis, not a sudden emergency.”
Statements and Recommendations
- The Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine supports the Guiding Principles extolled by the Combined Aboriginal Organisations of the Northern Territory for the development of an evidence based immediate response and a comprehensive long term plan to improve the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. These include:
- Relationships with Aboriginal communities must be built on trust and mutual respect. All initiatives must be negotiated with the relevant communities.
- Cultural awareness and appropriateness must underpin all initiatives.
- Actions should draw from and strengthen governance and community capacity.
- Initiatives should build on the existing knowledge base in communities and in Government.
- Initiatives should incorporate flexibility and responsiveness to local needs rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
- Aboriginal communities are entitled to receive the same benefits and services, and their children entitled to the same protections that are available to other Australians.
- There was consensus from forum participants around the need for urgent and sustained investment by the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments in strategies that are effective.
- One area we do not have any evidence of success in is the plan for the current Commonwealth Government intervention in the NT. AFPHM urges the Government to immediately assess the evidence base of its action regarding the potential benefits and detriments for the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people before moving further in this direction.
- AFPHM welcomes the opportunity to assist the Commonwealth Government to develop an evaluation framework for current intervention in the NT.
- The Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine is committed to working in partnership with Indigenous groups, governments and other groups to develop a comprehensive action plan to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory and beyond. Agreement was reached to start working immediately on an action plan involving partnerships between Indigenous people, governments, medical and public health professionals, Non Government Organisations (NGOs) and industry so that our advice to Government is timely and most importantly, useful.
- AFPHM urges both the Commonwealth and NT Governments to take immediate action to address health workforce issues, particularly in remote communities. Initiatives are required to significantly increase the numbers of Indigenous workers at all levels of the health workforce, and to increase the numbers of managers and nurses to improve the competency of local health services.
- AFPHM recognises that the great toll being taken on the health of Indigenous Australians through acute and chronic disease can be significantly relieved through improvements to the social determinants of health.
- AFPHM urges all Governments throughout Australia to immediately invest significant resources in programs to improve education, housing and employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians. As with health initiatives, such programs must be highly consultative and inclusive of local communities in their initiation, development and implementation in order to maximise their success.
For the full report please download the document below.
Media information contact: Rachel Gleeson on 0408 639 697 or (02) 9256 9602
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