On Close the Gap Day 2019, ACRRM says it is time to build on the solutions

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) sees this Close the Gap Day as a time to focus efforts on the strategies that are successfully delivering better health outcomes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

ACRRM is a Close the Gap Campaign member and welcomes the Government’s recent commitment to progress its future work in full partnership with peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups. 

Alongside this, ACRRM commits to sharpening its own efforts to contribute toward health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

ACRRM President Dr Ewen McPhee says that after 11 years of closing the gap, if we are to achieve health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by 2030, we need to build on what’s working.

"Health inequality has by most counts, worsened in the 11 years since the Close the Gap Strategy was produced," he says.

“We need to work harder and smarter and learn from the many success stories of how community-centred, culturally-appropriate, primary-care is improving health outcomes for Australia’s first peoples.

“It is known that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients access health services more, where they feel they are culturally safe and respected and have strong relationships with practitioners, especially where there are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors and staff to support them.

"The College recognises that by ensuring our doctors are dedicated and culturally competent and, by growing and supporting our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fellows, we are able to make an important contribution.

“Most ACRRM doctors have significant numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and our members are practising in some of the country’s highest needs, remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“Our College has more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members now than ever before and since introducing its own selection process in 2017, ACRRM has seen continuing record numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctor enrolments to its training programs. 

“The College also continues to build on its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health curricula and courses to ensure our members are trained and supported to provide their medical services as effectively as possible,” Dr McPhee says

National surveys demonstrate ACRRM registrars continue to be distinguished among general practice registrars for their interest in and likelihood of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. 

“Today we are happy to build on the outstanding contributions of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors and all our dedicated members working in rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” Dr McPhee says.

ACRRM is proud of the exceptional work of its members in serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and sees great promise for the future in both the passion and the capacity of the doctors that it continues to attract.