Media Release – Cultural Safety in the health Workforce- no time to waste
Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA), the peak organisation for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander allied health workforce, is committed to supporting the good health and social and emotional wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce, our people, families and communities, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
IAHA stands against all forms of racism and discrimination, which have no place within the health system and Australian communities. Racism has been demonstrated to contribute to poor health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, both by actively causing harm and acting as a barrier to essential care.
IAHA support the release of the No place for racism in healthcare statement from Ahpra and the National Boards which calls on practitioners to provide culturally safe care, free from racism. Ahpra acknowledges these issues continue to exist and cites disturbing examples of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been subjected to racism and culturally unsafe care. Unfortunately, these are not isolated instances and can have particularly damaging impacts in these challenging times. Aphra’s work in this area is welcomed and extremely important.
