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Surgeons call for greater COVID-19 protection for Indigenous communities The end of COVID-19 lockdowns, the easing of restrictions and the reopening of borders is a cause for relief and joy for many Australians and New Zealanders. But not everyone is celebrating.
the mob lies in asking them what their concerns are and dispelling their fears.”
Surgeons from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) are concerned about the impact of widespread COVID-19 infections on Indigenous communities once restrictions are lifted.
Professor Kong says another driver of the slow uptake of vaccinations is the misinformation widely available and propagated via social media, which has created unnecessary fears pertaining to vaccination, such as supposed adverse effects on fertility and side effects of vaccines.
They warn that without putting in place safeguards against the spread of the virus and increasing vaccination rates, reopening of borders and lifting of restrictions could have devastating consequences for Australia’s Indigenous and Aotearoa’s Māori populations.
Compounding this issue is a lack of access to trusted medical information. He says that while ensuring a greater Indigenous presence in the health system would be a positive step in creating a greater sense of trust, it is crucial that services themselves address barriers to access.
Australia’s first Indigenous surgeon and Macquarie University Professor Kelvin Kong says vaccination is a key step to protecting Indigenous communities, but multiple cultural and economic barriers mean vaccination rates remain low.
“If you own a shoe shop and no one comes and buys your shoes, you’re not going to blame people for not coming to you. You’re going to adjust what you do. If we have 20 per cent of people not attending their appointments and they’re all Indigenous, we need to ask ourselves what we’re doing wrong.
In September, the ABC reported that the vaccination rate among Indigenous Australians was 20 per cent lower than the national average. Professor Kong believes a major factor driving lower vaccination rates in these communities is the delivery method of the vaccination program. This is further confounded by a historical wariness of the government resulting from generational disadvantage and prejudice. “A long, convoluted history of racism and unconscious bias has meant that when the government says you have to do something, you have a wariness of that advice. This is especially the case among older members of the Indigenous community. “We can only overcome this distrust and fear by communicating effectively—the best chance of success in convincing
“The public health response to COVID-19 in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand was fantastic, but it revealed disparities quite starkly. There have been huge differences in vaccination rates between affluent areas compared with disadvantaged communities. It shows we need to be serious about removing the barriers to health care. Surgeons are in a unique position to be able to speak up.” For orthopedic surgeon John MutuGrigg, the issue of protecting Indigenous communities is close to home. He is concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on his tribe living in far north Aotearoa, and other similar rural Māori communities across the country. He agrees with Professor Kong that lifting vaccination rates is crucial to stopping
