The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is pleased to present an updated Indigenous Health position paper outlining our obligation commitment to addressing health inequities of Indigenous communities in Australia and Aotearora/New Zealand.
This position paper is essential in informing our Fellows, Trainees, Specialist International Medical Graduates and external stakeholders of our commitment to Indigenous health.
We want to address the health inequities of the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori populations of Australia and New Zealand. Achieving this requires an increase in Indigenous trainees, building workforce capabilities and increasing services to better meet the health needs of those populations, in culturally appropriate ways. Despite government initiatives, health and social inequities persist between Indigenous and non-indigenous communities in Australia and New Zealand. To address this, the College is making Indigenous health a priority by incorporating Indigenous health into our strategic planning.
In addition to a detailed list of Indigenous health initiatives and an overview of Indigenous models of health, the position paper discusses the role of partnerships and advocacy in furthering the College’s work in this area.
A pivotal focus for the College is partnering with our specialty societies to co-design curriculum and training initiatives, and to develop a safe surgical environment for patients.
We will provide updates on our progress.