Aboriginal partnerships essential for future pandemic planning

Genuine partnerships and access to Aboriginal data is key to pandemic preparedness, a new report by the Western Australian Community Controlled Health Sector (ACCHS) has stated.

The review of the WA ACCHS’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted what it has called “unequivocal evidence for the urgent need for culturally appropriate emergency and pandemic plans that support local solutions”.

Dr Marianne Wood, AHCWA’s Health Systems Advisor, has described to croakey.org ACCHS assistance to government was vital to the success of the pandemic response.

“They worked to develop original, culturally safe strategies to increase vaccine uptake; and created new approaches to growing workforce capacity and expand vaccine access,” she said.

“From the outset of the three-year COVID-19 pandemic emergency, the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector in Western Australia provided Aboriginal people with culturally safe, localised and accessible alternatives – for information, vaccination, testing and treatment; and filled multiple gaps where there was no government service available, Dr Wood wrote in Croakey.com

Key recommendations moving forward include:

• Governments must ensure that authentic partnerships with Aboriginal people and organisations are established both prior to and during health emergencies.
• Governments must recognise the unique skillset and expertise of the WA ACCHS, and acknowledge the indispensable, wide-ranging roles they performed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Governments must recognise the unique skillset and expertise of the WA ACCHS, and acknowledge the indispensable, wide-ranging roles they performed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Governments must ensure that Aboriginal communities have access to Aboriginal data to enable informed shared decision-making.

“What is the greatest lesson for government? It is to listen,” Dr Wood said.

“To actually be in touch with the people on the ground, with the people themselves. It is easy to make decisions at a distance; but listen to what communities are saying. Listen to the comments that are coming from people on the ground.”