A progress report on a 10-year program to improve for the health of Indigenous Australians in 2013 has revealed that 12 of the 20 goals are on track to be achieved by 2023.
Announcing the annual report card, Minister for Health, Greg Hunt said the immunisation target for five-year-old children had been exceeded, with 97 per cent of Indigenous five-year-olds fully immunised, compared to 95 per cent of other children.
“All three goals in the maternal health and parenting domain, plus the target for immunisation of two-year-olds, are on track to be achieved by 2023, while all goals related to smoking are expected to be accomplished by the plan’s completion,” Mr Hunt said.
“The Indigenous Health Research Fund (IHRF) is the first national research program led by Indigenous people at all levels, and conducted with close engagement with Indigenous communities.”
He said there were other clear goals — “to end avoidable Indigenous blindness by 2025, end avoidable Indigenous deafness, and eliminate rheumatic heart disease over the course of this decade”.
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt said the progress was a result of “strong collaboration between the Government and Australia’s Indigenous community”.
“Our focus is on practical outcomes and empowering local communities to have their say when it comes to the decision-making of Government,” Mr Wyatt said.
The 60-page program can be accessed at this PS News link.
