Dr Olivia O'Donohue was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Unley. She now works in Darwin.

The ARHRF Indigenous Health Scholarships Program is a jointly funded initiative between Rotary, State Governments and the Commonwealth Government. The aim of the program is to establish a scholarship fund that can be used for assisting Indigenous students studying nursing, medicine and allied health.

The purpose of the program is to increase the number of Indigenous medical staff and by so doing, improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people, in rural and remote areas of Australia where access to basic preventative medicine treatment is often difficult.

Is there a need for more indigenous doctors?

• There is certainly a need for more indigenous doctors, nurses and allied health staff, who are prepared to work in Australia's rural and remote areas.
  
  
• Of the 150 remote Aboriginal communities surveyed nationally only 22 had resident medical officers. Some communities have never had a resident doctor.
  
  
• There are only 35 Indigenous doctors in Australia with a further 60 Indigenous students in medical schools across the country. Compare this to the University of North Dakota, which has graduated over 100 Native American doctors with the support of the 'Indian Into Medicine' program.

Why the focus on indigenous doctors?

We know from what Indigenous people have told us that being able to talk to a doctor or health professional from their own culture is less daunting and more reassuring than is contact with non-Indigenous medical and health professionals.

Indigenous people may be reluctant to use the services of non-Indigenous doctors and health workers resulting in medical conditions not being diagnosed until they are very sick and require hospital care. Lack of cultural knowledge and awareness are two reasons for this.

Indigenous doctors can and do make a difference and help improve the health status of their people. Fore example, research carried out at Inala Community Health Centre in Brisbane, found that with an Indigenous Health Team (including an Indigenous doctor) more Indigenous people attended for consultations. The patients found that the Indigenous Health Team understood their needs better and their overall health improved as a result. In New Zealand an increased number of Maori and Pacific Island medical graduates has led to an increase in access to health care by 'under serviced' Maori and Pacific Island communities.

Indigenous doctors and nurses are important role models for other Indigenous people considering career opportunities in health. They also provide community advocacy and leadership in other related areas such as housing, education and community services.

It is also important to realize that the training of more Indigenous doctors and nurses will assist in the process of Indigenous people and communities taking more control of their health and the way services are delivered.

What does Rotary Offer?

Australian Rotarians have a proud record of giving generous support to requests for assistance from overseas countries in times of need, especially from developing countries seeking humanitarian aid.

However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on all health indicators have the poorest health indicators in Australia. 140,000 Indigenous Australians live in remote communities and lack primary health care. We can do our bit to change this situation by supporting selected Indigenous student in their medical studies.

Rotary has proven through the PolioPlus program and through the Mental Health program that it can achieve its goals. Indigenous medical students need to be adequately supported financially, educationally and personally.

How does Rotary support this project and what's involved?

• The Australian Rotary health Research Fund offers scholarships to select Students in consultation with the State Governments and Universities.
  
  
• The amount of a scholarship is $5,000 per year. The cost to sponsoring clubs in $2,500 per year.
  
  
• Medicine is an expensive, lengthy and arduous course.

The scholarship can make all the difference to a struggling student, especially since indigenous students are often of mature age with a family to support. Sponsoring clubs are encouraged to treat their students much like exchange students with occasional invitations to meetings. The knowledge of the members of the club is a source of encouragement and advice. This approach has been greatly appreciated by students and the government.

Do governments make a contribution?

Yes. Funding has been assured on a dollar for dollar basis from State Governments and the Commonwealth Government. This program has the support of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and both State and Territory Governments.

What the aboriginal health statistics tell us

• Indigenous Australians have a life expectancy approximately 20 years less than non-Indigenous.
  
  
• Indigenous people are more likely to die before 50 than their non-Indigenous counterparts of whom only 13% die before 50.
  
  
• The infant mortality rate in Indigenous children is between two and four times that of non-Indigenous Australians.
  
  
• Suicides accounted for 2.6 times more deaths for Indigenous males and twice as many deaths for Indigenous females.
  
  
• One in four Indigenous Australians are suffering today from illnesses last seen in the Edinburgh slums in the 19th century with rheumatic fever the highest ever recorded in the world.
  
  
• Trachoma is a readily preventable eye disease, which can cause blindness. It affects more Indigenous children in Australia than any other developed country.

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