Vale Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue, a leading Indigenous health advocate
The Medical Journal of Australia pays its respects to Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue, a leading Indigenous health advocate.
News
Doctors in Gaza struggle as health systems collapse
As negotiations continue on a possible ceasefire in Gaza, intense fighting has brought the health system in the region to near collapse.
World-first approach to eliminating rheumatic heart disease in Indigenous communities
In a world first, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) has partnered with the Australian Government to establish a community-led initiative to combat acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities throughout Australia.In an article published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, Ms Pat Turner, NACCHO's CEO, and Dr Dawn Casey, NACCHO's Deputy CEO, discuss how the partnership shifts power and decision-making to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community control.Ms Turner and Dr Casey note that unprecedented levels of ARF in Aboriginal children were reported in the Medical Journal of Australia over 40 years ago, and the implementation of a comprehensive prevention system at a community level are long overdue.“Such a system is most effectively implemented through comprehensive community controlled primary health care firmly in the hands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” they wrote.“We know what needs to be done, and we know that it can be done.”NACCHO has been instrumental in establishing the partnership, co-designing the national governance structure, appointing an RHD Expert Working Group, and co-chairing a national Joint Advisory Committee.“NACCHO is now responsible for dispersing over $30 million in service enhancement grants to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their community-controlled health services to address their local priorities, building on their own strengths and assigning resources to strategies they know will work,” Ms Turner and Dr Casey wrote. More than fifteen Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) have already secured funding to participate in the NACCHO program.The initiative came about as a result of the Australian Government’s commitment to eradicate Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in Australia by 2031.
Colorectal cancer an increasing risk for younger people
More young people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer in Australia, a disease that is frequently diagnosed in its later stages.
Targeted lung health strategies needed in the Top End
The burden of bronchiectasis among Indigenous adults in the Top End of the Northern Territory is significant, but more research is needed to develop targeted strategies and close the health gap.
Abortion inequities remain despite progress
Despite recent improvements to abortion access in Australia, inequities remain in access to pregnancy termination.
Urbanisation 'contributing to health inequities' for First Nations peoples
A new research agenda from the University of Queensland will focus on health and wellbeing outcomes for First Nations people living in urban areas of Australia.
No fluoride in drinking water putting a million Queenslanders at risk
A decision to hand over water fluoridation decisions to local councils in Queensland a decade ago has resulted in more than a million Queenslanders having less access to fluoridated water, putting them at a greater risk of dental disease.
Artificial intelligence 'facing barriers' in our health system
Barriers abound in implementing artificial intelligence across Australia’s health care systems, with Queensland researchers calling for more government funding to take advantage of this emerging technology.
