Supporting Indigenous health

A philanthropic gift of $10 million from Australian philanthropists Greg and Kay Poche will fund the establishment of a Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Melbourne.

The Poches have donated over $40 million towards improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including the establishment of Poche centres at the University of Western Australia, Flinders University and the University of Sydney.

The goal of the Poche centres is to contribute to significantly improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and to close the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

The new centre in Melbourne will support Indigenous people to undertake PhDs and postdoctoral fellowships in health. Along with the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, it aims to enrol 20 new Indigenous PhD students in health by 2020.

“The mission of the University of Melbourne Poche Centre for Indigenous Health is to develop the next generation of Indigenous leaders who will influence the strategic directions of institutions, be mentors for emerging Indigenous leaders, build enduring partnerships and influence the health outcomes of Australia so that the gap in health status between Indigenous and other Australians is closed,” said Associate Professor Shaun Ewen, Associate Dean (Indigenous Development) at the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne.

Meanwhile, the Australian Government has announced that an implementation plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan will be developed by the end of the year.

The Health Plan is a 10-year evidence-based framework designed to guide policy and program development to improve Indigenous health and achieve health equality by 2031.

Developed with significant input from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health leaders and service providers, the announcement reaffirms the government’s commitment to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health as a priority.