Health outcomes for Indigenous people could be drastically improved by increasing access to cultural medicines through Medicare and the PBS, says Southern Cross University researcher and proud Truwulway woman, Dr Alana Gall.
New research led by Dr Alana Gall and published today in First Nations Health and Wellbeing – The Lowitja Journal highlights the need to decolonise healthcare by including cultural medicines (also called bush medicines) in Australia's mainstream healthcare.
The findings are based on expert policy reviews conducted with colleagues from the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), Aboriginal Elders, and public health institutes.
"My community at large is either using or wants to use our cultural medicines, but access is low. Cultural medicines can include specific foods or plants as medicine, Traditional Healers, ceremonial or spiritual practices, or spending time on and connecting with Country," said Dr Gall, who is also a National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Fellow.
"Our culture is the oldest continuous culture on the planet, so our cultural medicines are the oldest continually practised medicine as well. Our cultural medicines connect us back to our culture from the beginning of time, having clear impact on the cultural determinants of health. We need to look at increasing our access to it."
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Play video The study examined 52 national health policies that guide the practice of Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registered health professionals, Aboriginal Health Workers and Indigenous Liaison Officers.
Dr Gall said the Australian healthcare system adheres to biomedical approaches to health, which has seen cultural medicines largely and conspicuously absent from policies that guide practice.
"A lack of national leadership and of clear definitions mean there is also a disproportionate onus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare workers to be the keepers of knowledge about cultural medicines. This is often not practical nor appropriate," she said.
"Our studies show although over 90 per cent of Indigenous people would like access to cultural medicines, many have difficulty doing so.
"We need better training and information on this issue for all healthcare professionals, on a national level. By including cultural medicines in Medicare and even the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), we could empower both Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals while also protecting the Indigenous Knowledge associated with the medicines."
Dr Gall's previous research has investigated the documentation and protection of Indigenous Knowledge in natural medicines and healthcare. In several instances Indigenous Knowledge has been appropriated for commercial gain, a practice known as biopiracy where little or no benefit is returned to the community where the knowledge is traditionally held.
"I see it as decolonising healthcare but we need to do things in the right order. We need cultural medicines to be integrated into mainstream healthcare but we also need to put the work into defining, understanding and protecting the knowledge associated with them," Dr Gall said.
Co-author, Pharmacist and Director of Medicines Policy and Program at the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) Mike Stephens said both policy and practice needed to change.
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first doctors and pharmacists of this country. The healing and wellbeing that can be derived from these practices and medicines should not be understated or forgone in conversations around health care.
"While our National Medicines Policy now specifically recognises cultural medicines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, more needs to be done to bring this to life and truly integrate this medicine into our national systems.
"Only through listening and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' health knowledge – such as greater incorporation of cultural medicines into national policy – can we stand to Close the Gap," said Stephens.
Professor Catherine Chamberlain, Co-Editor-in-Chief of First Nations Health and Wellbeing – The Lowitja Journal, said the journal was proud to publish important First Nations-led research.
"This research in turn highlights opportunities to improve outcomes for Indigenous people in Australia and overseas.
"We congratulate Dr Alana Gall and her colleagues on drawing attention to Australia's national health policies lacking effective approaches to cultural medicine use. Dr Gall's peer-reviewed article is an excellent example of The Lowitja Journal's commitment to providing an accessible, global platform for First Nations health and wellbeing perspectives," she said.
Support Dr Alana Gall's work integrating Indigenous knowledge into healthcare
About First Nations Health and Wellbeing – The Lowitja Journal
First Nations Health and Wellbeing - The Lowitja Journal is the official journal of the Lowitja Institute
