The Close the Gap campaign is the result of the Australian public’s overwhelming support for improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Close the Gap Campaign for Indigenous Health Equality is a highly regarded movement that has shaped government policy. It is led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and supported by mainstream health and advocacy organisations from around the country.
Most Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies of any country in the world — but this is not true for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can expect to live at least 10 years fewer than other Australians. Babies born to Aboriginal mothers die at more than twice the rate of other Australian babies, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher rates of preventable illnesses such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes. The mortality rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is on par with some of the world’s most impoverished nations.
Bungendore Medical Centre stands on Ngunnawal land and supports the Close the Gap Campaign in the following ways
- By striving to make our mainstream medical centre as welcoming as possible for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
- Everyone who identifies as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is eligible for Close the Gap medications on the PBS. We actively seek to record those who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- Our staff, as a team have recently undertaken a series of continuing education in Cultural Awareness provided by the Primary Health Network and presented by Elders.
- It is a part of our procurement policy to seek goods from Indigenous owned firms – to practically support Indigenous businesses.