ACRRM confirms commitment to health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on National Close the Gap Day

On National Close the Gap Day today, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) reaffirms its commitment to achieving health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples. 

The College also acknowledges the contribution of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members as doctors, and their advocacy on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and rural and remote communities. 

This year’s theme of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led transformation aligns with the College’s vision and Reconciliation Action Plan. 

ACRRM President Dr Sarah Chalmers says the College’s commitments to contributing to broader national efforts to advance the health status and close the gap on health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are driven by the principles of equality and allyship. 

The College also recognises these principles in the first ever Indigenous health workforce plan which was released on 13 March by Minister for Health Greg Hunt and Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt. 

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 2021–2031, seeks to have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples equally represented alongside non-Indigenous workers across the health sector by 2031. 

The plan complements the 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap and  aligns with ACRRM’s commitment to increasing access to high-quality, culturally safe health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia. 

Dr Chalmers says this new plan spans the breadth of the healthcare sector and will be considered by the College in building Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in our profession of rural general practice and rural generalism. 

“The College is buoyed by a recent national registrar survey which indicates ACRRM registrars are twice as likely to follow a career which includes Indigenous healthcare,” Dr Chalmers says. 

“We are also proud that the percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander registrars we are enrolling in ACRRM programs is well above the national average for medical colleges. 

“We recognise that there is much more work to be done and we will work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations to achieve these goals.”