Mick Gooda and Jackie Huggins comment in the Brisbane Times (16.3.16) about the tenth anniversary of the Close the Gap campaign, and the considerable work still to be done to close the life expectancy gap between Inidigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
‘Institutional racism in the health sector continues to be a major barrier to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking medical assistance.
‘ … Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, like non-Indigenous Australians, have the right to comprehensive primary healthcare that is aligned to our holistic concept of health. Health services should appropriately address the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of communities in a holistic way.
‘We’ve known for a long time that our people are best placed to determine and deliver the healthcare we need. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals are, in ever greater numbers, working on the front line to close the gap. We must support them.’
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