Mr Justin Mohamed, Chair of NACCHO, representing over 150 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations throughout Australia today welcomed the return of Katungul Aboriginal Corporation Community and Medical Services to community control by the Aboriginal people in the New South Wales South Coast region from Ulladulla to Eden.
Mr Mohamed said it is clearly proven that when there is Aboriginal community control in full practise it is undeniably the best form of Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) in the world.
“After 20 years of delivering a primary and secondary health care service it has been a difficult time for Katungul who have been under special administration for the last 9 months.
Essentially NACCHO and its members such Katungul define community control as the ability of the people who are going to use the health service to determine the nature of that service, as well as participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of that service.
Inherent to our philosophy is the principle that Aboriginal people must be able to determine and control all aspects of change and decision-making at all levels.” Mr Mohamed said
NACCHO congratulates the new Board of Directors ,the community, the Medical Centre staff who have worked incredibly hard alongside DoHA, the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, the Member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, the administrator, the Eldridge Group and the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council to ensure today’s handover would happen.
Mr Mohamed also supported the Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon statement that emphasised that handing back control of Katungul Aboriginal Corporation to the community brings us a step closer to achieving the goals of the Australian Government and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which is in closing the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and the wider Australian population.”
NACCHO Contact:
Colin Cowell
National Communications and Media Advisor
———————————————————————-
(02) 6246 9309 | 0401 331 251| colin@naccho.org.au | www.naccho.org.au/connect