[*Slightly Deranged*]

Slms all

For anyone who wants to make a difference, go to:

Oxfam Australia: Close the Gap

Visit the site, if only to sign petitions and write letters.

Close the Gap aims to: "call on Australian governments to take action to achieve health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within 25 years through:

Increasing annual Indigenous health funding by $450 million to enable equal access to health services
Increasing Indigenous control and participation in the delivery of health services
Addressing critical social issues such as housing, education and self-determination which contribute to the Indigenous health crisis"

Murisa I think you'll be excited by this. There's an initiative happening that anyone can join, and that is to close the gap between the health of Indigenous Australians and their counterparts. Did you know:

This situation is often cited as "Third World health in a First World nation", and has been likened to that of the slums in the 1920s Australia. A large number of Indigenous people do not have access to medical services within 25km (O'Donoghue)

Life expectancies of Aboriginal people are a lot shorter, and the onset of diseases are about 10 years earlier as compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts (Cass)

Why do I have referenced quotes? I did an assignment on Indigenous health last year. I'm particularly passionate about this topic.
I was alerted to this through my med faculty (as with many things); as they're having a BBQ to help raise funds to contribute to bridging the large gap of the health between Indigenous people and their non-Indigenous counterparts. It can be frustrating to know that as a fresh migrant or even living as an exchange student one has more readily accessible services than Indigenous people themselves.
For more discussion on the Indigenous situation in general, go to this already existing topic.

Cass A, Fillin A, Horvath J. End-stage Renal Disease in Aboriginals in New South Wales: A Very Different Picture to the Northern Territory. MJA 1999; Vol 171, pg 407-410*
O'Donoghue L. Towards a Culture of Improving Indigenous Health in Australia. Aust J Rural Health 1999; Vol 7 Issue 1, pg 64 *
*Statistics may have changed since 1999 - Feel free to post up newer stats!! I will be back to put up some more little figures and did-you-knows.

This post has been edited by *Slightly Deranged*: Aug 9 2007, 01:58 PM

[Alive...]

o gosh!! i dunno what im getting myself into but ok.
but maybe we should let ayn acedemy and youthemerged do it (we could help out if needed).
BUT if no one replies soon we'll go ahead with it inshaAllah/ what do you think??

Was Salaam