The annual Report Card for the Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Health Plan 2013-2023 was released this October. It found that 12 out of 20 health goals are on track to be met by 2023. This is good news for Indigenous Australians, who for generations have suffered poor health stemming from the traumas of colonization.
Progress Highlights: Children’s Health
As of December 31, 2018, 97% of ATSI 5-year-olds were fully immunized. The goal for 88% of ATSI 1-year-olds to be fully immunized by 2023 is on track.
All three goals in the maternal health and parenting domain are on track to be achieved by 2023. Although the target to decrease child mortality by 50% was not on track as of 2017, this will likely help the child morality gap begin to close.
Where We’re Behind: Preventive Checks and Screenings
The goals relating to health checks and screenings are not on track. However, the health check usage rate across all age groups increased to nearly 29% in 2016-17, up from 11% in 2010-2011.
The cancer mortality rate for ATSI people increased by 25% from 1998-2017, but increased usage of cancer screenings may bring about decreases in cancer mortality rates.
Thinking Positive
An opinion piece by Dr. Katie Thurber, a Research Fellow in the ATSI Health Program at Australian National University, highlighted the importance of framing health statistics positively. It is more likely to elicit a better emotional response than when statistics are framed negatively, she says. This can help Indigenous Australians be more invested in their own health—one of he biggest hurdles in ATSI engagement with medical resources.
Read the Australian Government Department of Health summary of the Report Card here:
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/indigenous-implementation-plan
Read the full Report Card here: https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/AC51639D3C8CD4ECCA257E8B00007AC5/$File/Report-Card-Accessibility-version.pdf
Read Dr. Katie Thurber’s op-ed here:
Adrian Chernyk: Health & Indigenous Australians 