A University of Queensland researcher has highlighted the need to attract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the cancer care workforce for holistic models of care to successfully improve cancer outcomes for First Nations people across the cancer continuum.
In a panel discussion at the 2023 NSW Cancer Innovations Conference, experts in Indigenous health, justice, psychiatry, and oncology discussed how they are getting cancer care to better respond to the social and cultural determinants of health.
ABC Radio National's BIG IDEAS featured the panel discussion.
UQ Professor of Indigenous Health Research, proud Kamilaroi woman Professor Gail Garvey, said Australia needs more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the cancer care workforce to address the huge gap in mortality compared to non-Indigenous Australians.
“To my knowledge we have no Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person in Australia trained as a medical oncologist or a radiation oncologist, or a psychologist working in cancer care,” Professor Garvey said.
“We have very few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working in cancer care.
“They’re more likely to be Aboriginal liaison officers who you reach out to every now and then.
“If we’re going to address the social and cultural determinants of health, we need to have a health workforce in cancer care that reflects the population that gets cancer, and then they can help address some of those other social and cultural determinants of health that others can’t address.
“The multidisciplinary teams look after the holistic care of the patient.
“You can’t do that without involving social workers, psychologists, and Aboriginal health workers.
“They’re a necessary part of the group.”
'The social and cultural determinants of health: Shifting the mindset of the system and understanding the factors that impact diagnosis, treatment, and survival', was held as part of the 2023 NSW Cancer Innovations Conference, first recorded on August 1, 2023.
