Indigenous Health - radio interview with AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua

DR CAPOLINGUA: Good morning.

CONLON: How do you put it, just the task ahead in health?

DR CAPOLINGUA: The task ahead in health for our Indigenous population? I think it's got to be done, basically. I don't think it's impossible, I don't think it's out of our reach. We know those stats that you've just described, they're real, and they're unacceptable. We know that for Indigenous kids, their mortality rates are four times those of non-Indigenous kids. That's the other stat we can throw in there. It's heartbreaking isn't it if you really think about it.

PILKINGTON: Rosanna, what's the first step? Is it an education process? I mean, if you're on this committee, this war cabinet, I mean, what's the first thing you do?

DR CAPOLINGUA: It's all of the above, I think. The first thing is that there are programs existing out there, the mothers' and babies' programs, that are already out there. Mums' and babies' programs, there's one that runs out of Townsville, that has proven to be very successful, the focus being on antenatal care. If you want to make a difference to kids' health and mortality, then you look after mums when they're pregnant.

So making sure that Indigenous women who are pregnant have good nutrition, that they do not use alcohol and do not smoke or use other substances, that they are provided with appropriate antenatal checks throughout the pregnancy with ultrasounds, blood tests - the things that we enjoy and take for granted. They don't have access to those things, so we make them culturally appropriate to them and get them to access that, so that the babies that are born, for starters, you reduce the rate of prematurity of babies and you increase their birth weight as well. If you have a healthier baby born and a healthier pregnancy, then you have a healthier child.

So those programs have been running in some places. We know that they're successful. So let's look at rolling out those programs in other communities. Make them again culturally appropriate, so that they are used and accepted by the people.

KEITH CONLON: What about the - in the Northern Territory, there is a program which has been changed somewhat by the new Labor Government, but nevertheless, there's still a major health push on the ground. What's the need there?

DR CAPOLINGUA: The Northern Territory Indigenous initiative, certainly. We understand, of course, that we've had health teams going into the Northern Territory, led by a doctor to do the child health checks. And they have been, across the board, fairly well received, and a lot of information has been achieved by doing the health checks. And we know that the Indigenous kids suffer from iron deficiencies, so poor nutrition is often a key thing. They have trouble with oral hygiene, and gum disease, so they need dental care and they need appropriate education and access to be able to look after their teeth.

We know they have ear problems, chronic ear infections, skin, and consequently the possibility of rheumatic heart disease, which is something which is really only seen in Third World countries, but we still have in our Indigenous population.

So the Northern Territory initiative needs review. We need to assess what we've achieved, how well it's been accepted, what can be done better, what gaps there are in that. And then, of course, all the follow up. Those kids then identified that need specialist help...

KEITH CONLON: So...

KEITH CONLON: Just in conclusion, is the - was yesterday a chance for at least those reviews and a hastening of the work to be done?

DR CAPOLINGUA: Yesterday was about being able to say sorry, and that important reconciliation which, hopefully, will have a huge impact on changing the way the actual relationship between many Australians and Indigenous Australians occurs, and I think that that was an incredibly important step.

Now the bipartisan focus will be a very, very important ongoing step - and the indigenous initiative needs to be rolled out across the country. Reviewed, made more appropriate, followed up and rolled out.

Ends