Government News

Indigenous bush medicine gets official recognition

To mark NAIDOC Week 2021 (4–11 July), the Australian Digital Health Agency acknowledged the importance of bush medicine in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and health and announced that My Health Record can be used to record its use. Director of Clinical Services and Senior Medical Officer at Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service in Yarrabah Queensland, Yued Noongar man from Dandaragan WA, Dr Jason King, said “We use traditional medicine because we’ve always used it. When we were young it was too far to town, the shops were too far away and so we had to do this. It’s part of our life still.” “I ask my patients what bush medicines they are using and include that information in the medical records in our clinic and this feeds into My Health Record” he explained. What a lot of people don’t know is that some of the medicines used every day in pharmacies have their origins from the plants and animals from the lands around us. Just because we’re taking it from the pharmacy shelf as a packaged medicine doesn’t dismiss the original source. Australian Digital Health Agency CEO Amanda Cattermole said, “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can upload their uses of bush medicine to My Health Record by including it in their personal health summary.” “This information can be used by health care providers to better understand and treat patients and help preserve key cultural heritage” she said. There is a great extension for our mob, to put to be to put this information into My Health Record. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have never had this opportunity before.

myhealthrecord.gov.au

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicines Committee launched during NAIDOC Week

A new joint committee between National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and Medicines Australia (MA) launched early July with a key focus on improving medicines access and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme for NAIDOC Week was ‘Heal Country!’, which highlighted the need to listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have been calling for action to address the grave social and economic disadvantages experienced for generations. This includes targeting health inequalities currently being experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and building better access to medicines and treatments. The NACCHO and MA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicines Committee will have a strong representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices including health consumers, health practitioners, ATSICCHO sector representatives, as well as from industry. The group acknowledges the ongoing disparities in access to medicines and associated services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples compared to other Australians. Discussions will initially focus on exploring way of working together, such as strengthening the medicines sector’s cultural responsiveness, addressing health literacy, improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in the sector, addressing medicines access and affordability, and considering remote and regional access. The group will also consider how reforms in health policy, legislation and the Health Technology Assessment processes may improve meeting the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

naccho.org.au/news