RECOGNISING that culturally safe care and equity of healthcare access are critical drivers to improving health outcomes, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) launched its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' healthcare position statement, last week.
Reaffirming the importance of genuine partnerships and shared decision-making, the statement was drafted in consultation with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
PSA National President Dr Fei Sim said that in collaboration, the PSA and NACCHO have pioneered onsite pharmacists within their network, "a program that has been successful and we will continue to work to make this service available to as many patients as possible.
"In co-design with NACCHO, PSA has delivered key initiatives including the IPAC trial and development of the Deadly Pharmacists Foundation Training Course to equip pharmacists with the skills needed to work within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services."
Sim said that the statement demonstrates pharmacists' commitment to enhancing the life expectancy, health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
"The 2022 Closing the Gap Annual Report highlighted that the target to close the health and life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation, while trending in a positive direction, is not on track.
"This is something that needs to be urgently addressed not only by providing best practice care but also increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in the pharmacy workforce.
"The PSA has reaffirmed our strong commitment to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander bodies to provide the best support for our patients," Sim said.
The statement also reaffirms PSA's longstanding support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for a First Nations Voice to be enshrined in the Constitution and for a Makarrata Commission as a process for agreement-making and truth-telling.
"We wholeheartedly stand by our endorsement of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and continue to work closely with NACCHO and other Indigenous-led health organisations to equip our profession with the skills and tools to deliver appropriate care for all Australians," Sim said.
Read the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' healthcare position statement HERE.
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