More Services Needed to boost health among Indigenous populations
An evaluation of the Northern Territory’s ‘Closing the Gap Child Oral Health Program’ has found that the scheme is working but more services are required to improve standards of oral health among indigenous populations in the region.
The scheme is designed for children who were referred following dental health checks, which were brought in under the Northern Territory Emergency Response but the programme is also targeting children living in remote communities in the Northern Territory.
The Federal Government report, which is entitled, ‘Dental Health of Indigenous Children in the Northern Territory: Progress of the Closing the Gap Child Oral Health Program 2011’ revealed that over 8,000 children, nearly half the population aged under 16, had benefited from the scheme between August 2007 and December 2011.
Dr Fadwa Al-Yaman, spokesperson for AIHW, an organisation responsible for informing the government about the state of Australia’s health, said that the report shows good news, as more and more children are accessing dental services via the programme; however, more services are needed to continue the good work and enable children to access the care they need quickly.
At the end of 2011, more than 700 children who had been referred for treatment were still waiting for treatment and the average period of time between referral and treatment was 18 months.
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