Indigenous patients are putting their lives at risk due to racism in the medical system, according to a Flinders University researcher.
Professor Dennis McDermott, from the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and Well-Being at Flinders, says Indigenous people are terminating their hospital treatment early because medical services and health professionals lack cultural safety.
Professor McDermott has told the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives conference in Darwin that some students are overtly racist when he tries to educate them on culturally appropriate ways to deal with Aboriginal patients.
“Our medical and education systems must acknowledge they have not performed strongly enough in the past and need to improve. They have a responsibility to help students become culturally safe medical practitioners,” he said.
“The good news is that doctor and nurse organisations are recognising this is a serious problem and are supporting efforts to address this life threatening situation.”
A Flinders University educational initiative is compiling a new framework for Aboriginal health care and training, providing guidelines for a ‘culturally safe’ system for educating doctors, nurses and other workers in the system.
“We see Flinders as a leader in this area, and we are looking to incorporate the principles of such a commitment to culturally- safe faculty environments into the national accreditation processes for all doctors, nurses and midwives,” Professor McDermott says.
