Researchers at the University of Queensland have found First Nations people are twice as likely to present at hospital with asthma and other allergy related illnesses, compared to other Australians. Dr Desalegn Markos Shifti, from UQ’s Child Health Research Centre led a study analysing 813,112 Emergency Department (ED) presentations at 12 public hospitals in Central Queensland, between 2018 and 2023.
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Queensland Health and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet have launched a new Queensland Portal, which provides Queensland-specific health information and resources to support anyone working or studying in First Nations health in Queensland, including students, academics and policy makers.
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Despite national commitments to Closing the Gap as well as national mental health strategies and agreements, mental health outcomes for Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain deeply unequal to non-Indigenous Queenslanders. In some areas, the gap is growing. Recent findings from the Productivity Commission’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement Review interim report found the Agreement was “not working as intended” and that current arrangements were too focused on jurisdictions and funding flows rather than on delivering better outcomes for people.
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Goondir Health Services is set to play a central role in delivering a new national digital health model that will improve access to healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with chronic disease in rural areas. Goondir will co-design a strategic framework for a national Indigenous-led digital health service model, in collaboration with The University of Queensland’s Rural Clinical School and the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ). The project is supported by a $500,000 Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant.
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Manngoor Dja Aboriginal health services began the rollout of its innovative Mob Pod with an opening at its Family Hub Clinic in Gympie. Held on Close the Gap Day, 20 March 2025, the community-led mobile health innovation addressed longstanding issues of health system access for outlying towns in the Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions.
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Sector Leader Magazine is published by the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC).
We welcome submissions from our Members, Associates and Affiliates on the great work being undertaken within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Organisation Sector.
If you would like to contribute story ideas for consideration or comment on items in the current issue, please contact our Communications Team at communications@qaihc.com.au. Previous issues can be viewed online at qaihc.com.au
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this publication may contain images or names of people who have passed away.
