Indigenous people in Queensland have a life expectancy up to 7.8 years shorter than average and the health system will likely miss a 2031 target to close the gap, according to a state audit.
The audit also found Queensland Health could not demonstrate how its 23-year framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander had improved culturally appropriate care since it was launched 13 years ago.
The state’s Indigenous life expectancy gap now stands at 7.8 years for males and 6.7 years for females.
A Queensland Audit Office performance report into health outcomes for Indigenous people found that life expectancy was improving but heart disease, cancer and diabetes were responsible were causing about half the early deaths.
The report’s authors found each hospital and health service region had at least one Indigenous person on its governing board and most had committed to workforce representation targets but “there is still a long way to go”.
“Important roles like Indigenous liaison officers are not used consistently, and there are more opportunities to train and develop the non-First Nations workforce to provide better care for First Nations patients,” the report stated.
Indigenous people in remote areas were 1.6 times more likely to experience potentially preventable hospitalisations.
The report found 90 per cent of Indigenous babies were born with a healthy birthweight, indicating the best chance of a healthy start in life, compared to 95 per cent of babies in the general Queensland population.
The report made six recommendations on how to close the health gap including developing a strategy to reduce the rate of Indigenous people missing specialist appointments and discharging from hospital against advice and improving transport to healthcare services.
A Queensland Health spokesperson said the organisation was committed to addressing health inequity and achieving life expectancy parity for Indigenous people in Queensland by 2031 and had taken significant steps towards achieving those goals.
“We know more needs to be done to achieve health equity, which is why we have accepted all recommendations and will work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities to implement them,” the spokesperson said.
Opposition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships spokesman John-Paul Langbroek said he was “appalled” by the report and claimed the government had failed for a decade to implement Indigenous health plans.
“They’ve repeatedly ignored the warnings, they have repeatedly failed to listen and have allowed these systemic failures to slide out of control,” Mr Langbroek said.
Minster for Health Shannon Fentiman was unavailable for comment.
-AAP
