OF the 31 Primary Health Networks in Australia, the one servicing Bendigo claims to be the first to establish an advisory council dedicated to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
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Six Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations are collaborating with Murray PHN as part of its newly-formed Indigenous Health Advisory Council, which will meet quarterly.
Members include the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative, Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service, Mallee District Aboriginal Services, Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation, Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-operative, and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation.
“Our goal is to ensure that primary health services and the health service system across the Murray PHN catchment area are responsive to the needs of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” Murray PHN chief executive officer Matt Jones said.
“This is part of wider efforts to close the gap in life expectancy and health outcomes in the Indigenous population.”
More than 14,800 people who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander call the almost 100,000 square kilometre area Murray PHN serves home.
Improving their health outcomes is one of the organisation’s key health priorities for the region.
According to Murray PHN, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience a burden of disease almost two-and-a-half times that of other Australians.
Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, chronic kidney disease and mental health issues account for 70 per cent of the health gap.
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The announcement follows the release of the 2017 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework, and a collaborative agreement binding the Australian Government, the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges, the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation together in efforts to close the gap on Indigenous health.
Though the health performance framework report showed some positive results, Minister for Indigenous Health Ken Wyatt acknowledged there was still a long way to go.
“Our universal health system is a source of national pride but it will only be truly universal if we can close the gap on Indigenous health,” he said.
The report highlighted a significant increase in Indigenous suicide rates, a widening of the gap for deaths related to selected chronic diseases, high rates of discharge from hospital against medical advice, and lower access to procedures in hospitals among the areas of concern.
Also appearing on that list were high blood pressure, diabetes patients with high blood sugar levels, and high rates of obesity and people who are overweight.
However, there were improvements in the number of Indigenous students finishing high school, fewer deaths caused by kidney disease or circulatory disease, and a decrease in smoking and risky drinking.
Mr Wyatt said the collaborative agreement, which was signed at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday, presented “a real opportunity to help address the complex factors that contribute to positive health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”.
