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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

The Australian Government acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

Newslines Radio: Making all our families well – part two

Safety and Wellbeing

Improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a critical to Closing the Gap.

Improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a critical to Closing the Gap.

This Newslines Radio program talks about renal disease and the effect it is having on the Indigenous people especially in the western desert regions of the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Health and Ageing Western Desert Dialysis was set up to look after the Pintupi/Luritja people of the western desert with renal disease.

They operate a state-of-the-art mobile dialysis unit which travels to remote communities as well as the “Purple House” in Alice Springs which was set up to look after renal patients and their families when they come to town for treatment

Phynea Maher is a patient support worker for Western Desert Dialysis in Alice Springs and she is very proud of the work they are doing.

“You know I really enjoy and I really love my role here at the purple house and working with a great team, we have got a wonderful team, it’s just a great place to wake up every day and come to work”.

Find out more

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience a burden of disease two-and-a-half times that of other Australians. A large part of the burden of disease is due to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and chronic kidney disease. This can be reduced by earlier identification, and management of risk factors and the disease itself.

The Indigenous Chronic Disease Package aims to achieve this reduction by providing support to the health sector and better access to health care by Indigenous Australians.