A recent ‘Short Communication‘ to the Rural and Remote Health Journal looked at the results of a very small survey to determine what telehealth needs were most required out bush.
The survey looked at the views of health managers and physicians working in non-metropolitan areas of Western Australia as to what the telehealth priorities were.
While the order of the first four health priorities was different, both groups had the same collective priorities.
Health managers wanted telehealth services (in priority order) for wound care, emergency, psychiatry and ophthalmology. Doctors wanted telehealth mainly for psychiatry (35%), wound care, emergency and ophthalmology.
To have a better sample size I see no reason why remote health services could not have been included. Telehealth is even more important in these areas where in some areas patients can be away for at least a week just to attend a specialist appointment.
In my belief the needs would have been the same, particularly mental health as mental illness is the second largest cause of illness in remote areas of Australia
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Tagged as:
emergency,
health,
mental health,
mental illness,
ophthalmology,
telehealth,
WA,
Western Australia,
wound care
The following has come from a recent editorial in eurekastreet.com.au . I recommend reading the complete editorial.
The Edmund Rice Institute for Social Justice, Fremantle, has called for a large ex-gratia payment to the family of Mr Ward. The 46-year-old Aboriginal elder and cultural leader died on 27 January 2008 while being transported from Laverton to Kalgoorlie, in the back of a privatised prison van. His first name cannot be revealed for cultural reasons.
The report of Coroner Alistair Hope was published on 12 June this year. It concluded that Ward died of heatstroke, and that the WA Department of Corrective Services, the prison transport company GSL (now G4S) and the two drivers were jointly to blame. The coroner said Ward’s treatment was inhumane, and a breach of international laws to which Australia is a signatory.
In a statement issued after the Coroner’s report, Edmund Rice Institute director David Freeman said the report confirmed fears that this is ‘one of the worst human rights tragedies in Australian living memory’.
The Indigenous News Updates are sourced from news and other articles from around the country that I have posted on Twitter.
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Tagged as:
coroner,
Eureka Street,
Mr Ward,
Ward,
Western Australia
The last desert wanderers were seen by members of the Kiwirrkurra community. Well, not seen as you and I would see them, but their tracks were seen and destination determined. Members of the community waited for them near a water supply and gave them clothes to wear before bringing them into the community so they would not be shamed by white fella remarks as the community members remembered receiving in years past when they stopped their nomadic way of life.
This was 1984.
Sixteen years later in late 2000 and early 2001 massive rains flooded out the community of Kiwirrkurra. 170 people had to be evacuated initially to Alice Springs, and after a month back into Western Australia, 2000kms SSW of Kiwirrkurra to Moropoi Station. Kiwirrkurra was (and is) alcohol free but during their time at Alice Springs and at Moropoi alcohol was freely available. This dislocation of a desert people caused severe disruption to their community social fabric. It would be eighteen months before they could go home to their country. the land that sustains them.
The current edition of The Australian Journal of Emergency Management produced by the Federal Attorney-General’s Department contains an article an article about the flooding of 2000 and what can be improved in the planning.
A project recently completely by Emergency Management Australia, in consultation with the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of WA, (FESA) has documented the communities stories from the Kiwirrkurra flood to identify the lessons learned, so that other communities and emergency managers can benefit.
The article can be downloaded here (192Kb). It is a good read looking at the difficulties with remote life. My only concern with the article is their is no mention of the role of the health service in any emergency.
Disclaimer: Kiwirrkurra is one of the communities I look after
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Tagged as:
Alice Springs,
dislocation,
Emergency Management Australia,
FESA,
flood. relocation,
kiwirrkurra,
Western Australia
- Town camp lease talks stall. Labor has gone back on its promise to consult widely with Aboriginal people.? http://bit.ly/WDkpd
- Amnesty travelling to remote communities collecting information on issues like economics, health, education and housing http://bit.ly/17525T
- MORE than 60 per cent of doctors working in rural and remote WA have been recruited from overseas. http://bit.ly/14UTSW
- Air contamination scare for Intervention staff involving their accommodation. http://bit.ly/zFWMm $$ should be in indigenous housing
- Indigenous teacher training program launched aimed at reducing the high turnover of teachers in remote areas http://bit.ly/Jqo2o
- Intervention moving into sustainable phase: Macklin – tell her she’s dreamin’ http://bit.ly/vxmm2
I read a large amount of information each week on indigenous health and affairs. There is no way I can blog about it all. Many of the links I place on Twitter where I can be found as @BiteTheDust.
I will regularly compile these links and place on the blog under the category of Indigenous News Update.
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Tagged as:
aboriginal,
Amnesty,
contamination,
doctors,
housing,
Indigenous,
Intervention,
lease,
Macklin,
teacher,
Western Australia
