These measures will promote better health outcomes for Indigenous Australians, enabling effective Aboriginal Medical Services to maintain their technical and therapeutic capacity in line with the mainstream primary health care system, and better respond to the increased demand for primary health care in Indigenous communities. Funding may also be allocated for service provision in communities with continuing high levels of unmet need. The National Indigenous Pneumococcal and Influenza Immunisation Program aims increase to pneumococcal and influenza immunisation coverage within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Influenza vaccination will be administered to individuals on an annual basis, with pneumococcal vaccination every five years. Influenza and pneumococcal disease are major causes of acute respiratory illness within the Indigenous population.
Respiratory illness is the third largest contributor to Indigenous death.
A comprehensive communication program targeted at the health care workforce and cohort population will be an integral component of the proposed strategy. PCR technology will greatly support early detection because it has superior testing sensitivity, is less invasive and is not affected by delayed transport time of specimens or extremes of temperature. This initiative will ensure the continued economic and efficient delivery of medical services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by strategically planning the maintenance and replacement of health infrastructure and improving the availability of health care worker accommodation. The program will take a strategic approach to tackling the emerging need for maintenance and upgrading of health infrastructure and availability of suitable staff accommodation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.