Fed: Aus indigenous health record worst in western world: Dr

AAP General News (Australia)
12-18-2001
Fed: Aus indigenous health record worst in western world: Dr

By Jordan Baker

TOWNSVILLE, Dec 18 AAP - Australia's indigenous health record was arguably the biggest
public health failure in the western world, a leading academic said today.

Professor Ian Ring, head of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at James Cook University,
said other countries had dramatically improved indigenous health standards.

But in Australia the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous life expectancy was
19 to 21 years, compared with five in the US and seven to eight in New Zealand.

"This is a staggering difference," Dr Ring told the inaugural Sidney Sax oration at
James Cook University in Townsville.

"Our record in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health represents arguably the
biggest public health failure in the western world.

"The health of the Australian (indigenous) population is not only much worse, but it's
not clear whether mortality rates are improving."

Dr Ring said improvement was possible but only with a funding injection of about $240
million per annum within five years.

Governments might spend 22 per cent more on indigenous health, but that was not enough.

"If the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population were only 22 per cent sicker,
that would be fine," Dr Ring said.

"But Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three times as sick.

"There really isn't enough money to actively treat the sick, let alone provide the
prevention and early treatment required to break the cycle."

Dr Ring said the well-documented disparity between health in the city and the bush
was largely due to the poor health of indigenous people.

"Apart from transport accidents, this excess is almost entirely due to the indigenous
population," he said.

The health of non-indigenous people in the regions was not too different to those in
the city when it came to problems such as circulatory conditions and diabetes.

Dr Ring said Australia had the potential to be the healthiest country in the world.

But this could only be done if there was a targeted approach to issues such as indigenous
health, heart disease and suicide.

AAP jb/jhm/mg/de

KEYWORD: INDIGENOUS

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