Five Aboriginal Medical services and the Telethon Kids Institute will receive more than $4.6 million to target Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) hot spots across the nation.
Expansion of the Government’s Rheumatic Fever Strategy would include practical environmental health hygiene activities and intensive health promotion measures to help combat both acute rheumatic fever and the associated RHD.
Rheumatic heart disease and acute rheumatic fever take scores of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives each year, including young people who never get a chance to reach their full potential.
Our Government recognises the vital role local Aboriginal Medical Services play in their community and we believe these organisations are pivotal in averting new cases of this preventable disease.
Five Aboriginal Medical Services will share in $3.7 million over three years to lead local pilot programs to combat the disease.
These are the Pika Wiya Health Service in South Australia, the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service in Western Australia, the Apunipima Cape York Health Council in Queensland, and the Malabam Health Board and the Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation in the Northern Territory.
With two-thirds of the WA First Nations people suffering from RHD living in the Kimberley, the Telethon Kids Institute will also receive $950,000 over two years to establish an innovative
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