RACGP voices support for Indigenous health equity

Right now, just 0.3% of the nation’s medical specialists are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – a sobering reminder of how much change is needed to achieve true health equity.
 
That is according to the new 2024 Close the Gap report, a First Nations-led campaign aimed at achieving this equality by 2030.
 
The themes of this year’s report are ‘Progressing Voice, Treaty, and Truth’, ‘Leadership and Governance’, and ‘Building our Economies’, with each one working to improve the lives of First Nations people.
 
And there is a lot of work to be done.
 
Currently, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy at birth is around eight years less than non-Indigenous Australians.
 
A recent Productivity Commission report on targets for the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, also revealed that while there has been progress on healthy birthweights, efforts to close this life expectancy gap, as well as reduce suicide rates, are not on track.
 
Additionally, 46% of First Nations people have at least one chronic condition, 37% of children are overweight or obese, and 37% smoke daily.
 
But marking Close the Gap Day on 21 March, RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Chair Dr Karen Nicholls said there is hope.
 
‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare must be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led, and our community-controlled organisations should be supported to deliver services,’ she said.
 
‘We want to do everything we can to support the growth of the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs.
 
‘When Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say in the policies and practices that affect them, the outcomes are better, resources are better-used, and we move closer to closing the gap in health equity.’
 
This is echoed in the report, which states that community controlled health services improve wellbeing outcomes within Indigenous communities.
 
Dr Nicholls said she is ‘incredibly proud’ of the success the RACGP’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs in training have achieved.
 
One significant achievement came with the recent release of results from the RACGP 2023.1 Clinical Competency Exam (CCE), which showed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs in training are excelling.
 
It found 100% of self-identified candidates passing the latest CCE – the final exam on the pathway to Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP).
 
But Dr Nicholls said there is more to do.
 
‘That’s where our partnership with the Indigenous General Practice Trainee Network, or IGPTN, is really valuable for the culturally responsive education and support they provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs in training,’ she said.
 
‘IGPTN is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led and governed, which is its strength and in line with what we know helps to achieve equity in health.
 
‘Our partnership with the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association is also based on a shared recognition of the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors in the health workforce.’
 
The RACGP is a member of the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee, along with Australia’s peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous health bodies.
 
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health Close the Gap day