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Indigenous Health And Social Justice - HREOC Reports Valuable Contributions To The Debate, Australia

17 February 2006 - AMA (Australian Medical Association) President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, today welcomed the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) reports - Social Justice Report 2005 and Native Title Report 2005 - as valuable contributions in the ongoing debate to improve Indigenous health in Australia.

Dr Haikerwal said the AMA fully supports HREOC's call to all governments of Australia to commit to achieving equality of health status and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous people within 25 years.

“There are many similarities between the HREOC and AMA policies in pursuit of better health for Indigenous Australians,” Dr Haikerwal said.

“The key is to look beyond just providing high quality and accessible health services, programs, personnel and facilities.

“You have to look at other factors like education, environment, culture, language, sanitation, water and housing - a total lifestyle package that addresses the poor quality of life in many Indigenous communities.

“The 25 year target to achieve equal health status is achievable but there must be action now.

“As part of its solution set out in the reports, HREOC proposes that, within 10 years, we must provide these communities with access to high quality, integrated primary care and health infrastructure such as safe drinking water, supplies of healthy food, effective sewage systems, rubbish collection services and healthy housing.

“The AMA endorses this target. These are things that other Australians already have and take for granted. They are not luxuries. They are essentials.

“But we can get a lot of the health reform done in five years.

“The AMA has estimated that an extra $400million funding every year specifically for high quality integrated primary care in Indigenous communities nationally will make a huge difference.

“We called for this amount in last year's Budget and we are calling for it again in this year's Budget.

“There is a huge budget surplus at the moment. As a community we should be telling the Government to put some of this money aside for a cause of which we can all be proud - bringing the health and living standards of Indigenous Australians into the 21st century alongside ours.

“COAG missed an opportunity last week to show leadership on Indigenous health - let's hope they are motivated to act by the time they next meet in July.

“Fixing Indigenous health over the next 25 years as set out by HREOC will require a coordinated whole-of-Government approach.

“It needs a sophisticated policy that encompasses the social determinants of health - and HREOC has highlighted these issues in its reports.

“But as HREOC points out, there is one important element missing from the reform process - an overarching representative body to represent and coordinate the health interests of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.

“This is a problem also identified by the AMA's Indigenous Health Task Force.

“To successfully implement a whole-of-Government reform program to improve Indigenous health across the nation, there must be a national representative body of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders through which governments can negotiate and deliver national agreements.

“This would ensure clarity, fairness, equity and the upholding of basic human rights,” Dr Haikerwal said.

Source: Medical News Today

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