Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and primary health care
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has this week released a new report, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and primary health care.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally responsive, high-quality and timely primary health care that acknowledges the impact of social, cultural and historical determinants is essential to improve health outcomes.
This report provides important insights into a range of factors associated with use, preferences and access. It identifies areas where gaps in services exist.
Data from the 2018–19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS)* showed that about 54% (440,000) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lived in areas with both an Aboriginal medical service (AMS) or community clinic (CC) and a mainstream GP, 31% (249,500) lived in areas with only a mainstream GP and 13% (107,900) lived in areas with only an AMS/CC. Around 2.1% (17,000) had no primary health care service in their local area.
When examining preferences, however, almost half (48% or 390,600) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people would prefer to access an AMS/CC rather than a mainstream GP (43% or 350,000). Of those, just over one third (36% or 142,200) did not use an AMS/CC even though that was their preferred source of care, mainly because of lack of availability in their local area.
The report is accompanied by an interactive map that highlights where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live and the drive time to the nearest primary health care service. These services include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and other organisations funded under the Australian Government’s Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP), as well as mainstream GPs.
Drive time analysis using data on the location of primary health care services in 2023 and 2024 showed that 99% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (an estimated 972,000 of 983,000) had a service within a one-hour drive of where they live.
However, the analysis also showed that 5.4% (an estimated 52,700) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live outside a 1-hour drive to any IAHP-funded service location, 9.2% (90,200) live outside a 1-hour drive to an IAHP-funded ACCHO service, and 6.8% (67,300) live outside a 1-hour drive to a mainstream GP practice.
Fourteen Indigenous Areas had at least 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with no primary health care service within a one-hour drive. Thirteen of these service gap areas were in very remote areas in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
*This report analyses data from the 2018–19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS). Results from the 2022-23 NATSIHS were recently released on 26 November 2024. The AIHW will look to update the analysis in this report with the latest survey findings.