The National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: Framework for Action by Governments was endorsed by the Australian and State/Territory governments through their respective Cabinet processes and signed by all Health Ministers in July 2003.
This document is complementary to the 1989 (reprinted in 1996) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy (NAHS)
(view download details) which was built on extensive community consultation. The National Health Strategy: an evaluation 1994 (view download details) explained that the NAHS was never fully implemented. It remains, however, a key document in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and is used by health services and policy makers.Development of the framework
Continuing the consultation process and in view of changes in Indigenous health policy, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy: draft for discussion, February 2001 was produced by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council. This process contributed to shaping the National Strategic Framework.
The National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: context (view report – PDF – 563KB) details the development of the framework, which reflects significant policy changes and the creation of partnerships (consistent with the NAHS recommendations). Included in the context report is a description of factors affecting the health of Indigenous people. Building on the NAHS and its evaluation, the framework takes into account other key policy documents for example the:
Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
The framework
The National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: Framework for Action by Governments (view report – PDF – 351KB) describes the aim of guiding government action through a coordinated, collaborative and multi-sectoral approach supported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health stakeholder organisations. The report also includes examples of successful programs and promising approaches.
The framework is based on nine principles:
Drawing together nationally agreed strategies and identifying key priorities, the framework sets an agenda for addressing health disadvantages for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The above reports are available on the OATSIH website
Reference
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council (2003) National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: framework for action by governments. Canberra: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council
Category: Vol 3 No 3 July 2003 – September 2003
Indigenous researchers appointed to the NHMRC’s Research Committee
The following summary has been adapted from the 23 June 2003 Ministerial media release.
Two prominent Indigenous researchers, Dr Sandra Eades of the Menzies School of Health Research and Associate Professor Jacinta Elston, of James Cook University, have been recently appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Research Committee.
The NHMRC’s Research Committee is responsible for the allocation of funds from the Government’s Medical Research Endowment Account, to facilitate health and medical research and training in Australia.
The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, announced the appointments of Dr Eades and Associate Professor Elston. She commented that:
‘Their knowledge of Indigenous health issues and their experience in research will be invaluable as the NHMRC implements the outcomes of the Research Agenda Working Group’s Road Map for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research.’
Dr Eades has been a member of Project Grants Committee, Chair of the previous Research Committee’s Indigenous Health Research Panel (Projects) and member of the joint OATSIH/SRDC Research Agenda Working Group (RAWG). Dr Eades is a well-established Indigenous researcher with links throughout Australia. Dr Eades is currently a member of the reference group for ‘Mapping Australian Science and Innovation System’. Based at the Menzies School in Darwin she is a member of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Committee of the Northern Territory.
Associate Professor Elston is based at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Queensland. Her research interests include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce education and development, health priorities for Indigenous peoples and breast cancer in Indigenous women for which she currently holds grants from the Kathleen Cunningham Foundation. She has been an expert reviewer for NHMRC and a member of the joint OATSIH/SRDC Research Agenda Working Group (RAWG).
For further information:
Indigenous doctors appointed to the NHMRC’s Health Advisory Committee
The following summary has been adapted from the 24 June 2003 Ministerial media release.
Two prominent Indigenous doctors, Dr Noel Hayman of QEII Hospital Health Service District and Dr Mark Wenitong of Wu Chopperen Medical Service, have been recently appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Health Advisory Committee.
The Committee, Australia’s leading public health advisory body, provides broad-ranging information on matters such as drinking water quality, the effect of poverty on health and conserving Australia’s blood supply.
Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, announced the appointments of Dr Hayman and Dr Wenitong. She commented that:
‘Their expertise and knowledge in Aboriginal health will be invaluable in assisting the Health Advisory Committee address health inequalities for these Australians.’
Dr Noel Hayman is currently the Manager of the Indigenous Health Service at QEII Hospital Health Service District in Brisbane. He holds a Master of Public Health and has gained a Fellowship to the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine. His interests include improving the access of Indigenous people to mainstream health services and medical education. He received the 2003 Centenary Medal for his long service to primary health care in Aboriginal communities.
Dr Mark Wenitong is a General Practitioner at Wu Chopperen Medical Service in West Cairns. He is a member of the National Aboriginal Health Council. His main areas of interest are Indigenous men’s health, chronic and infectious diseases, health promotion and community development.
For further information:
Review of the GP workforce serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
The following summary has been adapted from publicity documents and is reproduced with the permission of Deborah Corrigall, Senior Social Researcher, Urbis Keys Young
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer the worst health status of any group in Australia. They have higher levels of morbidity and a life expectancy twenty years less than non-Indigenous Australians. Conditions of poverty and disadvantage contribute to widespread occurrence of complex chronic and acute conditions among Indigenous people. Despite these problems they have insufficient access to GP services.
The General Practice Partnership Advisory Committee (GPPAC) has commissioned Urbis Keys Young to conduct an extensive review of the GP workforce serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Recommendations from the study will be considered by GPPAC in developing policy advice and options to be submitted to the Minister for Health and Ageing. This is your opportunity to help shape Indigenous health policy.
We know GPs are bombarded by surveys, yet there is still no national profile of this workforce and limited understanding of the factors that affect retention and recruitment in this area. This project involves contacting GPs and GP registrars working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to find out who and where you are and to collect some feedback about your experiences as a primary health care provider in this sector. We are also interested in hearing from practitioners who are considering working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or who have in the past.
There are numerous unanswered questions about many aspects of this GP workforce, including:
What proportion of the GPs providing services in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are approaching retirement age?
What issues need to be addressed to recruit GPs in this area?
Do you receive the educational support you need?
Is the available support from allied health workers sufficient?
Where are the gaps?
Why do some GPs choose to stay working in this field and others leave?
Why do registrars elect to work in Indigenous health?
What would you regard as fair remuneration for the work you do?
A copy of the GP survey (HTML; PDF – 384KB) and the registrars survey (PDF – 414KB) is available online.
Participation in the study will make you eligible to win a $1,000 grant for medical equipment. Questionnaires can be sent through the post, emailed, or conducted over the telephone. We understand that practitioners in this area have little time for surveys, and every effort will be made to communicate in the most convenient fashion. To participate, please contact:
Deborah Corrigall
Ph: (02) 8233 9900
Fax: (02) 9233 0990
Email: dcorrigall@urbis.com.au
Josh Fear
Ph: (02) 8233 9900
Fax: (02) 9233 0990
Email: jfear@urbis.com.au
Fourth National Aboriginal and Islander Health Workers’ Conference: ‘health workers making the difference’
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The 4th National Aboriginal and Islander Health Workers’ Conference was held on Kaurna land in Adelaide, South Australia from June 15-18. The theme of the 2003 conference acknowledged the unique contribution that health workers make to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia. The conference offered an opportunity for health workers to gain information about innovative projects, expand their local, regional and national networks, and discuss the future direction of their profession.
A special interest group meeting was held on Sunday afternoon before the official conference opening. This meeting was designed to allow health workers to talk about professional development and the progress of state and territory health worker representative bodies. The session gave health workers the opportunity to identify issues and form recommendations that could be discussed throughout the duration of the conference.
The main conference program offered delegates an opportunity to present and share information about their programs and projects. It also provided the opportunity for delegates to examine health workforce issues. Conference workshops provided an opportunity for delegates and presenters to provide expertise and constructive feedback in an interactive environment. Case studies of successful health worker practice from around the country were integrated in the program, as were issues surrounding the professional development of health workers.
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Tuguy Esgin and Sam Burrow from the HealthInfoNet, and Donna Daly from the Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal conducted a HealthInternet café at the conference. Staff were available to introduce conference delegates to the online information services offered through the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website. The café also offered an informal setting for further exchange of information on creative and innovative programs and projects currently being implemented across the nation. Photos of conference delegates were readily captured by Tuguy. We’d like to thank conference delegates who provided written permission for us to display the photos included in the following galleries:
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet would like to thank the Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal and conference delegates for their support of our initiative.
