Hospitals and Healthcare

Midwives from Aboriginal Women's health centre Waminda will now be allowed to help First Nations women like Emma Ardler give birth at Shoalhaven Hospital after previous restrictions were lifted. 

Yuggera, Warangoo and Wiradjuri doctor Kristopher Rallah-Baker says it’s important others ‘see they won’t be brought down if they complain about racism’

Despite constant headlines about general practice being in crisis, research shows one area is shining brightly. So what can we learn from Aboriginal-run health services?

Corrections minister Enver Erdogan to confirm transition to public services, in move welcomed by Indigenous advocates

Think of Aboriginal health and you’ll probably recall messages of large gaps in life expectancy, increasing rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease and asthma. Or that the last ten years…

For First Nations peoples living with Dementia, loss of speech can bring loss of connection to family and culture. A new initiative has found a culturally friendly way to assist with communication.

In 1789, a disease tore through communities around Sydney Cove leaving dead bodies scattered along the shorelines. Some think this outbreak was a fire deliberately lit.

New recommendations for primary care assessment of ear health and hearing status of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

Calls for greater funding in local health services as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer from high rates of type 1 and 2 diabetes

A comparison of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians admitted to intensive care units reveals a “disturbing” difference in mortality outcomes. A new study has found Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are more likely to die within 12 months following an intensive care unit (ICU) admission than the general population. Analysis recently published in The Medical …

Improving the health and welfare of Aboriginal people has always been front and centre for nurse practitioner Lesley Salem.
A fly-in fly-out remote area nurse, Lesley currently works as a generalist and chronic disease NP in Doomadgee, a remote Aboriginal community in far north-west Queensland, as well as nearby Mornington Island.

Her scope of care includes assessing clients, performing diagnostic examinations and tests, and treating and managing them. She also runs a skin clinic at the local school, care at the aged care facility, daily clinics, and care at health promotion days.

In June, she was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for significant service to nursing and to Indigenous health.

Noongar man Peter Farmer was diagnosed with diabetes in his early 20s. It took a near-death experience for him to get his health back on track.

First Nations women and their newborns are considered high risk due to fatality rates and access to care. Research shows First Nations-led culturally safe healthcare could prevent further deaths.

Indigenous people in Australia experience poorer health outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians. So it’s crucial health messaging is delivered in culturally appropriate ways.

Even before COVID-19, the rate of suicide among Indigenous people was alarming. With social distancing and border closures now in place, what impact is this having on an already vulnerable part of the community?

Advocates argue more Indigenous doctors are needed to improve access to healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.