BRIDGING the health divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians starts with early education, insists Aboriginal affairs and early childhood education minister Sarah Mitchell.
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The Gunnedah MLC has backed calls from the Rural Doctors’ Association of Australia (RDAA) to improve access to culturally safe healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It comes as the RDAA and Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA) spearhead calls to close the gap in health outcomes as part of Reconciliation Week.
It’s a fight Ms Mitchell believes we’re making ground on, but one that could be fast-tracked by targeting younger generations to help bridge the gap in life expectancies between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians down the track.
“I think about what we can do, and in my role as early childhood minister, it’s about (starting) with young kids, new mums, antenatal (classes), that’s going to help down the track,” Ms Mitchell said.
“In Aboriginal communities, of all the social determinants, health underpins all of that.
“It’s important that the appropriate services are available.
“For a lot of people to find confidence in the environment when they;re talking about health, particularly women.”
Ms Mitchell pointed to the NSW Aboriginal Health Plan 2013-2023, a six-component strategy that delivered $23.5 million across Aboriginal communities in the last year alone, as a step in the right direction.
But RDAA president Dr Ewen McPhee said true reconciliation would be “incredibly difficult” without first addressing the significant health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
"Going forward, it is critical that governments place more focus on significantly boosting access to local healthcare for Indigenous Australians,” Dr McPhee said.
"And it must feature models of healthcare that are designed by Indigenous Australians for Indigenous Australians.
“The types of healthcare models that work best for Indigenous Australians are those where Indigenous people have strong involvement in their design, and where the health service is truly responsive to the cultural needs and sensitivities of the population it serves."
Ms Mitchell said directly engaging with Indigenous Australians was a crucial part of the NSW Aboriginal Health Plan.
