The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has renewed its push for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality to mark the 10th anniversary of Close the Gap Day.
The RACGP will join representatives from a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services, including the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) on Thursday 17 March to celebrate the successes of the campaign so far, while acknowledging the challenges still facing these communities today.
Across Australia, GPs hear stories of the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and their resilience. GPs know that better access to high quality primary healthcare services allows people to take charge of their health and live the lives they would choose to live.
RACGP President Dr Frank R Jones said the organisation was a strong supporter and member of the Close the Gap Steering Committee, proudly joining more than 200,000 Australians committed to ending the health equality gap by 2030.
‘It is heartening to hear of the differences being made across our country, however, we still have a long way to go – life expectancy for this group of patients is 10 to 17 years less than other Australians – and it is our responsibility to address this longstanding inequality,’ Dr Jones said.
‘I am very proud to see RACGP Fellow Dr Raymond Blackman involved in this year’s Close the Gap campaign video message, highlighting the essential work GPs and other health professionals are doing with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities’
RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Chair, Associate Professor Brad Murphy said while the number of GPs working directly in Aboriginal health services was small – just under 700 nationally – most GPs across Australia did contribute to the campaign’s objectives in their own communities.
A/Prof Murphy said the RACGP offered a range of education and quality improvement resources to skill Australia’s GP workforce to provide culturally and clinically appropriate healthcare to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including curriculum and vocational training standards, the National Guide to a preventive health assessment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, cultural protocols, and QI&CPD activities.
‘The RACGP is committed to supporting efforts to tackle health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and acknowledges the daily work of many of its members to improve health outcomes for their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients,’ A/Prof Murphy said.
‘The RACGP’s continued advocacy to implement the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan is another example of the hard work being undertaken to fight for this section of our community’s health equality.
‘I also urge the Federal Government to act today and lift the Medicare patient rebate freeze, which acts as a continuing financial cut to Aboriginal Medical Services.’
The development of a Reconciliation Action Plan, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising the partnership between the RACGP and NACCHO in November 2014, had also furthered the RACGP’s commitment to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, A/Prof Murphy said.