Australia’s first Aboriginal surgeon urges the medical community to vote Yes

Professor Kelvin Kong is a Worimi man, AMA member, the recipient of the AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship in 1997, Australia’s first Aboriginal surgeon, and the 2023 National NAIDOC Person of the Year.

The AMA’s journal, the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), this week published an article with Professor Kongoutlining his reasons for advocating for the medical community to vote Yes in the forthcoming referendum on the Voice to Parliament.

Professor Kong points to the many inequities in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the systemic issues faced by Indigenous Health Practitioners.

He also raised the importance of culturally appropriate healthcare, and the role organisations including the AMA can play in advocating for promoting social health, including the Yes vote.

The AMA’s Federal Council endorsed its position of support for the Yes vote in June this year.