TV celebrity and Aussie legend, Mr Ray Martin, has told attendees at the launch of an Indigenous health project that the health of the next generation of Indigenous Australians needs to be given a ‘fresh start’.
Speaking at the launch of the Indigenous EarInfoNet* at the Menzies School of Health Research (MSHR)** in Darwin, Mr Martin spoke about the need to focus attention on giving Indigenous kids the opportunity to have a healthy start to life.
A long term advocate for Indigenous issues, Mr Martin said that the health of Indigenous Australia is an issue of enormous complexity.
"Research has shown that there are intricate and complex links between health and poverty, unemployment, housing and education.
"But however complex it is, we can’t afford to ignore the fact that Aboriginal people are still dying prematurely" he added.
"They are dying mainly as young to middle-aged adults and they are dying of the same diseases that non-Aboriginal people are dying of, but at much higher rates and at a much younger age.
"The majority of causes of premature death in Aboriginal adults are rooted in early life and in early childhood.
"So if we are to make an impact upon the lives and the health of Indigenous Australia, it makes sense to give a ‘fresh start’ to a next generation" Mr Martin said.
Advocating Mr Martin’s sentiments, MSHR researcher and Paediatrician, Dr Peter Morris, spoke of the need to solve the complex puzzle of Indigenous health ‘piece by piece’ - by taking each part of the jigsaw in turn.
"Today we are here to talk about just one part of the jigsaw… ear disease, and the debilitating effects that this can have on childhood development and learning," Dr Morris said.
Research has shown that in many Top End communities, two out of every three Indigenous children have damage to their ear drums or hearing problems by the time they get to school.
Not being able to hear clearly makes it difficult for children to learn, talk and make friends; and poor hearing can seriously affect a child’s development and learning in the vital early years of life.
"The project we are launching today – the Indigenous EarInfoNet – will help to make significant in-roads towards making sure that people working in the field of ear disease have up-to-date quality information at their fingertips and are able to share knowledge, understanding and experiences," Dr Morris added.
The Indigenous EarInfoNet is a collaboration between the Menzies School of Health Research and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet*** and can be accessed at www.earinfonet.org.au