Indigenous-led for quality remote healthcare
A majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board governs the Australian Government-funded RAHC program.
The board sets a strategy and RAHC implements the program in partnership with remote health services in the NT, including:
- the community
- health services
- health professionals
- RAHC’s clinical, cultural and workforce teams.
Through the program, remote NT clinics can access a pool of healthcare professionals from urban areas who have completed a thorough cultural safety orientation to ensure a culturally responsive workforce.
Communities and clinics self-identify their needs. The RAHC team works with them to deploy and support health professionals they need to strengthen access to quality healthcare.
RAHC is available to remote and very remote NT communities.
Self-determined remote health needs and solutions
Our community partners are in control of decisions for their communities. They identify their needs and we work together on a way to fill workforce shortfalls and support sustainability. RAHC is not a recruitment program.
The program includes 24/7 support to healthcare professionals who are already employed. It helps them to transition to work in a remote setting for a short time.
The program involves:
- General Practitioners
- Registered Nurses
- Oral health professionals (Dentists, Dental Assistants and Dental Therapists)
- Audiologists
- Allied health professionals.
Healthcare professional placements are for 3 to 12 weeks at a time.
Funded to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
The Australian Government Department of Health funds the program under the Indigenous Australians Health Program. RAHC helps to meet Closing the Gap health targets:
- Close the gap in life expectancy within a generation, by 2031.
- Halve the gap in mortality rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under 5, within a decade.
In line with the National Agreement for Closing the Gap, the program works for Priority Reforms 1 and 2:
- Formal Partnerships and Shared Decision Making.
- Building the Community-Controlled Sector.