Transcript - Launch of the AMA's Position Statement on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Brisbane

Wednesday 5 October 2005

AMA President Dr Mukesh Haikerwal

Qld Aboriginal and Islander Health Council Chair Rachel Atkinson

AMAQ President Dr Steve Hambleton

CEO Winnunga Nimmityhah Aboriginal Health Service Canberra Julie Tongs

Chairperson Brisbane Aboriginal and Islander Community Health Service Raelene Baker

E & OE - PROOF ONLY
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DR HAIKERWAL: Good afternoon everybody. Thank you very much for coming to this launch, which is a very important launch. My name is Mukesh Haikerwal. I'm the Federal President of the AMA.

Before we start I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land. I would also like to introduce people who are here with me. There's Julie Tongs who's from Canberra, from the Aboriginal Health Service there. Steve Hamilton Queensland President of the AMA, Rachel Atkinson who is the Chairman of the Queensland Aboriginal Islander Community Health Services, and we've got Raelene Baker who's the Chairman of the Aboriginal Medical Service here in Brisbane.

And I am very grateful to them for allowing us to use the facility to launch this document here.

It gives me great pleasure to launch this document today, which is the AMA Position Statement on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.

We know and we've known for many years that the health status of people from Indigenous communities has always been very poor. The purpose of this document is first of all to identify where we're falling down in the way in which healthcare is delivered, but also, and more importantly, how we can make that better.

We believe firmly that there is hope out there. There's some fantastic models of healthcare delivery and we need to highlight those and use them across the country. Things that work must be continued and things that work must be replicated across the country.

The most important single model that we've seen, not just here in Queensland, but also in Western Australia, South Australia and in the ACT so far is the Aboriginal control, the community control of healthcare centres is vital. Why? Because when the people themselves decide what care they need they can then decide how that care is delivered.

The way in which to make decisions around that is helped by people to make the right sorts of decisions so that that care is adequate and extremely well received by the community.

Where we've had top‑down driving of healthcare people haven't taken it up. That's part of the reason that healthcare hasn't been provided in areas and hasn't worked well.

So we need to make sure that we deliver, we deliver well and we deliver things that people actually want and will use.

It's important that the current way in which health is funded in the Aboriginal Islander population is made more simple. It's a very tortuous process and so many different buckets of money that are used for funding. The way in which that money is used and distributed has not kept pace with the times. It's based on old historical formulations and doesn't cover many of these incredibly sophisticated services that are provided to communities from services such as these.

Governments, both state and federal must work together to make sure the way in which these services are funded, are provided, are provided in a systematic manner and in a coordinated manner, but in consultation with the communities in which they work.

We've just come back from Cairns and one of the big communities over there. We've seen

ATKINSON: And I'll just respond to that guy's question, 'cause I don't think…

HAIKERWAL: Okay, you respond first, and I'll wrap up.

ATKINSON: I'll just respond in terms of what's been stated in the AMA's press release, in terms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing the hospital. I think the key message that we would like people to take away today, and it's not rocket science stuff, it's about resourcing the community control sector to actually deliver good, holistic primary health care.

We've demonstrated in Townsville, with the Townsville Aboriginal Maternal Health program, where we've made a huge difference in babies' lives. We've increased the birth weight; we've decreased premature births.

So, therefore, those babies are going to grow up and have a better chance of a better health outcome, rather than grow up with all the chronic disease that we all, the majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer.

So if we get it right in the primary health care level, you know, tertiary becomes a secondary issue for us. But currently, at the moment, a lot of our, my community and right across the country are actually being hospitalised for preventable diseases.

So if we can get it right at a primary level, and the government really needs to take this message, it will save the taxpayers and everybody else that complains about, you know, the cost of hospital, we'll save them a hell of a lot of money.

So let's get it right in terms of the primary health care, and let the community self determine where their health is going and how to improve. And this is exactly where the AMA are supporting us on the concept of community control. Thank you.

QUESTION: So you're talking about their programs like, I don't know, cutting smoking…

ATKINSON: Hmm, yep.

QUESTION: …and high risk drinking and getting people exercise and, you know, addressing all those statistics. You want more funding for…

ATKINSON: To resource all those programs. You know, we're currently running at, the organisation I manage is the Walkabout program, the 10,000 step concept.

Now, we just looked at the amount of weight loss in, you know, it was actually a good outcome. Very small program, but, you know, it was a good outcome in terms of patients and staff were actually taking responsibility of their own health.

But it was driven from the community up, which made the difference. We have a quit smoking program, we have, you know, all those little programs make a huge difference in terms of better health outcomes.

So therefore, hopefully, we've decreased admission into the tertiary level at the hospitals.

QUESTION: And there's obviously savings to be made if you can cut the number of people…

ATKINSON: Absolutely, absolutely. Not rocket science stuff, it's, you know, simple. And this is where the AMA are, sort of, supporting and backing us.

QUESTION: And is there any willingness in the community to embrace, you know, these programs? Like, you know, quit smoking - so it does go over pretty…

ATKINSON: We've had some really good successes. But, mind you, this is only little pockets of good programs happening. What the AMA are saying, and what we're saying from the Queensland Aboriginal and the Health Council, the peak body for Aboriginal health in Queensland, is that, you know, we're all fighting for that little bit of resource to actually provide these programs.

What we're calling on the government is to actually fund appropriately all the services, so we could all be doing good work and adopt the good models that have been working around the country.

QUESTION: So you want that 38 cents to the dollar of Medicare program lifted…

ATKINSON: Absolutely, yeah, yeah. And focus on those primary health preventative programs.

HAIKERWAL: Okay. Just to conclude I'd just like to thank you for your attendance and your interest. This is a significant concern for most Australians, and there is a way forward. And that's the point we want to make.

We don't want to sit and talk about despair, but about good care, how it can be achieved, and the successes it can have for the whole health system and a very important part of our community. So thank you very much.

ATKINSON: Thank you.

Ends