Forum Discussion

Hi Margaret,

I am not quite sure I understand exactly what you need. If it is regarding the health of aboriginal people I could tell you what I understand about it. Many groups of aborigines live in remote areas of Australia. They have long stopped eating 'bush tucker' which had a good source of vitamins and minerals. Instead they rely on city food such as flour, bread, meat. Unfortunately not all city food reaches these remote areas; fruit and vegetables are hard to come by and when they find it, it is expensive and not affordable. Therefore, aborigines have a less than ideal diet; lacking in nutrition. Hence, their health has been deteriorating for years. They have lower life expectancy; chronic kidney disease, diabetes and other problems.

Access and equity issues refer to the commitment of the Australian government to repair the National Health system so that groups of disadvantaged people can have the same access to medical services as people living in the city. Some groups at risk:
- Aborigines and Torres Straight islanders
- Rural population
- People living with intellectual disability

Each one of these groups has some gaps or difficulty in accessing medical services. For instance aboriginal children have poor access to medical services due to living in remote areas. Aborigines with chronic and complex needs have no access to chemotherapy, hospices, and medical specialists.
In rural communities there is often a need to fly an injured or sick person to the city for treatment because there are no readily available medical services nearby. Rural women have to leave home to have a baby just in case something goes wrong and medical services aren't there to support them at home. Rural people with chronic illness like cancer have to commute to the city for treatment.
The aim of the Government Health Services is to rectify these gaps in the groups at risk and improve equity access and outcomes for them.

Hi Margaret
I work in Aged Care for Nhulundu Indigenous Health Service.
There is information regarding the Federal Government's Close the Gap which you would find useful on the Reconciliation Australia website.
Also feel free to contact me directly if you wish [email protected]

Thank you very much Margaret. I shall take a look at the site and contact you if needed. I appreciate your kindness.

Can you describe the term Gaps Based and how they apply to the development of the community, please
Stacy