Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have poor health compared to other Australians, and their life expectancy is 17 years less than that of other Australians. In addition, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have difficulty obtaining medicines and therefore use them much less than other Australians. So, why do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples find it so difficult to obtain medicines?

Aboriginal Health Workers discussing medicines as part of their Good Medicines Better Health project training.

Poor access to health services and medicines

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples don't have easy access to health services, doctors and pharmacists. For those living in rural and remote areas, the nearest medical services and pharmacies are often many hours away, and they have no way of getting to them. Also, many are on very low incomes, so they have less money left over from their day-to-day expenses to pay for health services and medicines. The problem is worse in areas where doctors don't bulk bill. In addition, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel uncomfortable about using mainstream medical services. They feel that such services don't understand their cultures, or their holistic view of health, which places equal importance on social, emotional, cultural and physical well-being. They may also mistrust mainstream services because of past practices, such as the removal of children from their parents, and the removal of communities from their land.

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Poor understanding of medicine use

Lack of educational and training opportunities mean that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have difficulty reading and writing. In addition, many have hearing loss following chronic ear infections in childhood. As a result, they may have difficulty understanding directions about what medicines to take and how to take them, which results in people not taking their medicines as prescribed. The problem is exacerbated by health professionals using unfamiliar and complex language, and some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples being embarrassed about asking health professionals for clarification and advice.

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Lack of medicine information

Most standard resources, such as Consumer Medicine Information leaflets (CMIs), are unlikely to be suitable for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and little culturally appropriate medicines information has been written for them.

Good Medicines Better Health project

Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's quality use of medicines is seen as an important step to improving their health and life expectancy.

Good Medicines Better Health is a project that is working to do this. It involves the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia, and the National Prescribing Service, which is funding the project.

The project is providing quality use of medicines training for Aboriginal Health Workers in the Kimberley, Western Australia, Port Lincoln, South Australia, and Melbourne, Victoria. The training will enable them to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to help people in their communities manage medicines better.

As part of their training, the Aboriginal Health Workers were asked to provide feedback about the suitability of the National Prescribing Service's resources for people in their communities. Their favourite resource was the Medicines List (see back page). This is a small folder that people can use to list all their medicines, along with details of what the medicine is for, how much to take, and when to take it. They felt that it would be particularly useful for people with chronic conditions and parents of children.