SEXUAL health services in the North West will receive a $2.23 million boost over the next three years thanks to a new State Government funding package.
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The funding is part of the new $15.7 million North Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sexually Transmissible Infections Action Plan 2016–2021 announced by Health and Ambulance Services Minister Cameron Dick today.
North West Hospital and Health Board Chair Paul Woodhouse said the funding aimed to improve sexual health screening and treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, respond to syphilis outbreaks and reduce the rates of other STIs in the region.
“This funding will allow our health service to build upon existing successful sexual health education programs and bolster treatment and screening activity in our region,” he said.
“This includes supporting check-ups for young adults, increasing grassroots engagement, prevention and education activities and providing support to primary health clinicians.’’
Mr Woodhouse said the new $2.23 million allocation over three years followed on from a $743,000 allocation to build local sexual health services last year.
“Funding for sexual health services was cut back in previous years and I am grateful to Minister Dick and the State Government for their commitment to rebuilding services,’’ he said.
“With this additional guaranteed funding over the next three years, we will be able to maintain and expand our regional sexual health programs."
Mr Woodhouse said the new Action Plan had been specifically developed to address the increasing number of notifications for infectious syphilis, and the occurrences of infant deaths from congenital syphilis in North Queensland.
“This is an unacceptable situation and we need to ensure health services are working with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities,’’ he said.
“That is why the Action Plan has set some key goals, including eliminating congenital syphilis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies in North Queensland by December 2017.
“The plan will also aim to control syphilis outbreaks in the North Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population by December 2020 and reduce the prevalence of other STIs.
“We recognise that this is a sensitive issue and acknowledge that the success of our strategy depends on direct local engagement, including with our Indigenous communities.
“As such, staff members within the North West HHS with strong local experience have been involved in the development of the Action Plan.
“This plan has been informed by input at a local community level and from experts in the field to identify and address local needs.’’
Mr Woodhouse said consultation for the plan had been wide-ranging.
“This has included health service clinical and executive staff, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health sector, primary health networks and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sexual health experts,’’ he said.
Mr Woodhouse said the North West HHS would contribute to achieving the set goals by undertaking a clear set of actions to strengthen the health service’s capacity to deliver clinically effective and culturally appropriate services.
The Action Plan promotes a regional response and covers five North Queensland HHSs — Mackay, Townsville, Cairns and Hinterland, Torres and Cape, and North West.
The plan has been endorsed by the board chairs of all five hospital and health services and the $15.7 million overall funding allocation is designed to support the participating HHSs for the first three years of its operation.