https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/it-could-take-a-generation-to-close-the-life-expec/3665701/ DIFFICULTY securing sufficient health services for her family is one of many reasons Trudi Sebasio is determined to help close the gap on indigenous wellbeing. The Mackay Hospital and Health Service regional indigenous operations manager told a Closing the Gap forum she had been an 18-year-old mother of two young children and the experience had given her an insight into the need to take a wider approach beyond health. Ms Sebasio said it could take a whole generation to close the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous people but she was committed to the mission. She said one step toward improving indigenous outcomes had been targeting five or more antenatal visits in soon-to-be mothers. She had seen some improvement, she said, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums were still largely seeking antenatal care from their second trimester.
"It's about living longer, there's a lot of effort into healthy pregnancies - addressing smoking cessation during pregnancy, five or more antenatal visits... early childhood access to health services and getting kids into kindergarten at a young age," she said. "While we're meeting that target and doing well, we've still got to make improvements by encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander mums to come in to antenatal care in their first trimester. "(This is) so we can address smoking cessation during pregnancy, and provide information around healthy pregnancy ... what services are available to support them after birth." More than 50 professionals across sectors such as health, education and justice met in Mackay on Thursday to discuss improvements made, and still needed, in indigenous health access. They discussed domestic violence, housing and sustained health and wellbeing among indigenous youths, illustrating the importance of collaborating across multiple industries to truly close the gap. Mr Sebasio said her personal experiences had made her realise it was crucial the health sector did not work alone in improving the indigenous community's wellbeing, to ensure long-term goals were met. She said the government recognised 'closing the gap' may take until 2033 to achieve. Former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social commissioner Mick Gooda said there was a subtle difference between the government implementing indigenous rights to be healthy, and providing the opportunity to be healthy. "Governments have these duties to provide good services that are available and accessible, without discrimination, that cope with difference," he said. "They're not indigenous rights, they're human rights and the right to be different and recognised as such. "Whether you're an older person, a transsexual person, an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander person, they're not the people who have to work their way through the system. The system should cope with all those differences."
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AuthorA selection of my general news content. My main round was health, however I frequently covered weather, crime, politics and general human interest. Archives
January 2020
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