Statement from The George Institute on research priorities in Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander health

The George Institute made a submission to the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Public Consultation on Research Priorities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.

The submission highlights the need for more research to be conducted into the prominence of systemic racism within Australia’s health system and the impacts on health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The submission is in line with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023 which has a vision for:

“an Australian health system free of racism and inequality whereby all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have access to health services that are effective, high quality, appropriate and affordable.”

Keziah Bennett-Brook, Program Lead of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program at The George Institute says racism is directly linked to the access of health care.

“Racism within Australia’s health system is a major barrier to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ access to culturally safe health care and impacts the ability to receive the same quality of health care services as non-Indigenous Australians,” Ms Bennett-Brook said.

“We know that racism is a key determinant of health and 2020 was a year that put a spotlight on the capacity for our health systems to respond to a pandemic while the Black Lives Matter movement revealed the pervasive racism of our institutions and society.”

“Within Australia we have seen that racialised injustices continue to occur within our health system. It is imperative we advance our knowledge and evidence within this significant gap to ensure that our health system is culturally safe and responsive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

“While we are pleased to hear of the NHMRC commitment to allocating at least 5 percent of the Medical Research Endowment Account to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research, we believe this investment needs to be focused on research into health systems and broader social determinants that impact upon ongoing health inequities faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Ms Bennett-Brook said.

Read the full statement here (PDF 775 KB)

Further reading

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Virtual Session 2: Primary Health Care Organisation and Models of Care

PHCRC webinar 2

The Primary Health Care Research Consortium (PHCRC) is a research network led by reputed international organizations with its secretariat at the George Institute for Global Health, India. The consortium promotes evidence generation, knowledge exchange and capacity building through south-south cooperation to reduce the research to policy gap in primary health care overall for efficient policymaking in low- and middle-income countries.

Continuing its webinar series Scaling New Frontiers in Primary Health Care Through Research and Partnership PHCRC is proud to announce Virtual Session 2: Primary Health Care Organisation and Models of Care scheduled for 17th February 2021 from 11:30 AM to 01:00 PM IST. This is an opportunity to listen and interact with an interesting line-up of discussants who have in-depth knowledge of primary health care in developing countries

  • Felicity Goodyear Smith: Chair of the WONCA Working Party on Research, University of Auckland, Academic Head of Department & Goodfellow Postgraduate Chair of General Practice & Primary Health Care in the Faculty of Medical & Health Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand
  • Robert Marten: Scientist, Alliance for Health Policy and Health Systems Research

Moderator:

  • Bob Mash: Chair, Primary Care and Family Medicine Network (Primafamed), Sub-Saharan Africa

The session concludes with a Q&A session where the audience can ask questions.

Follow and engage with the PHCRC & the George Institute on social media.

The virtual series is a time to come together and discuss ideas. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #StrongerwithPHC & follow our Twitter handles on @care_PHCRC & @GeorgeinstIN.

Register here

Further reading

APAC Insider Business Award

The George Institute China wins APAC Insider Business Award

The George Institute for Global Health China has been named Best Independent Global Medical Research Institute 2020 for its efforts to improve health and combat chronic disease in China and around the world.

The recognition was part of APAC Insider’s annual Business Awards, celebrating the success of companies of all sizes across the APAC region, regardless of industry.

APAC Insider is home to news, features and comment from people and institutions across the region.

Prof Craig Anderson, Executive Director of The George Institute China said it was a fantastic honour to win the award.

“The mission of The George Institute for Global Health is to improve the health of millions of people worldwide and we are doing just that in China,” he said.

“Focusing on non-communicable diseases, we are committed to providing innovative, scalable healthcare solutions through the conduct of high-quality, high-impact, research projects.”

News of the award has provided a boost to staff at The George Institute China who are starting a new year more committed than ever to the goal of improving the lives of millions of people worldwide.

Leads

Further reading

Affordability and Efficiency is the Future of Healthcare

Healthcare is usually a slow-moving industry, and mostly for good reason. In medicine, patient safety and evidence-based practice are king. In medicine, patient safety and evidence-based practice are king. Researchers, clinicians, innovators and the MedTech and pharma industries must perform rigorous clinical trials and navigate complex regulatory environments, to bring new drugs and devices to market.

Women’s Health and Gendered Vulnerabilities

Screening and Managing Anaemia in Pregnant Women

Our Women’s Health Program in India addresses the leading causes of death and disability for women, specifically non-communicable disease and injury. The program adopts a life-course approach to address women’s health issues and considers their health from birth to death as a continuum, in which early health-related measures can be indicators for health outcomes later in life.

Screening for and managing anaemia in pregnant women is one of many women’s health projects.

Bolstering Primary Health Care Delivery to Fight NCD’s

Leveraging Technology and Competency Development to Augment Health Systems

Millions of people in India live without reliable access to essential health care. And those with access find quality of care highly variable. In India, although 85% of deaths are caused by non-communicable diseases, the primary health care system is still focussed largely on infectious diseases and reproductive health.  At all levels there is a lack of resources, technology, people and infrastructure.

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