Tamworth Community Health service celebrates NAIDOC Week

Inside every human is the mitochondrial Eve, a piece of DNA that links us all back to our common ancestor.

My GP Tamworth doctor Casey Sullivan, a Wiradjuri woman, told crowds at the Community Health Service NAIDOC celebration it’s this strong maternal link that made it possible for her to finish university and become a doctor.

“I’m acknowledging some of my strong Aboriginal female family members who came before me,” she said.

“Talent is dispersed equally but opportunity is not. Even though the encouragement was there, it wasn’t expected I would turn into anything – there were a lot of barriers.

“My grandmother wasn’t able to go to school, her mother is part of the stolen generation – when we start talking about that I realise just how lucky I am. These must have been very strong-minded women to get me where I am.”

And, while the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is gradually improving, the target to close the gap in life expectancy by 2031 is not on track.

On average, Indigenous males and females die about 10 years earlier than non-Indigenous people.

Tamworth Hospital Aboriginal liaison officer Kristen Dalton said chronic disease, heart disease and renal failure were big factors in the gap as well.

“With our mob, if they’ve had a bad experience that bad experience always outweighs any good experience they’ve had in a health service,” she said.

“The communication between doctors and patients is something I try to work on. 

“Doctors need to explain to Aboriginal patients in a way they can understand.

“I’m trying to empower my patients to know there is somewhere they can go for support and someone who can advocate for them as well.”

Ms Dalton said one of the biggest issues with Indigenous health outcomes was access, with many failing to follow up on appointments or struggling to get there in the first place.

Renal patients who need to have dialysis must travel to the hospital up to three times a week for treatment, out of pocket just the travel can cost more than $35 for some.

Cultural awareness training for non-Indigenous people already happens at the hospital, but Ms Dalton said in 2018 it’s hard to believe it’s still necessary.

“We do that to let non-Aboriginal people know what it’s like for an Aboriginal person to seek medical treatment because most of the time – they just don’t want to be here,” she said.

The health service’s NAIDOC Week celebrations were held on Monday.