Lots of fun activities at the Hospital encouraged Cherbourg children in between health checkups from visiting specialists. The clown Doctors from the Royal Childrens Hospital were awesome. Bubble blowing was is an important activity to help children respond to ear infection. 
Danica had the honour of being treated by Dr Chris Perry in 1999. It was an honour when I met up with him during one of his visits to Cherbourg when a group of specialists would perform wonders at Cherbourg Hospital. The ABC gave excellent coverage to the launching of a new venture to tackle the problem of ear disease. An ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist at Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital has called for a Northern Territory-style health intervention into Queensland's Indigenous communities.
Doctor Chris Perry says the incidence of ear disease in Indigenous communities is Australia's worst epidemic. He says about 90% of Indigenous people encounter some form of hearing loss as a result of glue ear and perforations, and that causes learning and social problems.
Dr Perry says experts are not sure why Indigenous communities are so susceptible to ear infections but living conditions are tough for many.
"They're living a life of squalor in the lucky country and its a national disgrace. We're pretty keen to see the Federal Government helping Queensland the same way they've helped the NT, we've got the same health issues."
He was speaking at the launch of an Australian first mobile health screening service, by the University of Queensland's Centre for Online Health.
Testing by the van will help Brisbane-based specialists visiting the Cherbourg Aboriginal community in the South Burnett to focus on treating the children most in need.
Doctor Anthony Smith says the trial will determine whether it is expanded to other areas
"The idea of perhaps putting something in the water has been raised," he said.
The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation has funded about half of the cost of the van.
Dr Perry is also the medical director of the Deadly Ears program which aims to prevent hearing loss in Indigenous children.
He says ear infections are a major problem and the new program will ensure there is a targeted approach.
"In the Aboriginal communities 90 per cent at any one time have virtually hearing aid-level deafness and we're doing very little about it," he said.
"The Deadly Ears program employs 14 people and the vast majority are therapists. They're speech therapists, they're people who teach teachers how to teach a classroom where almost all the kids are a bit deaf."
The van will be staffed by local health workers and the trial in Cherbourg will be coordinated by Cecil Brown.
"We've got a lot of children out there with hearing problems, so with hearing problems come learning problems," he said.
"So if we can start identifying children at an early age and get them treated, we're also improving the health of the child by getting them fixed and also we're going to get better learning outcomes for children."
The trial is being funded by the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation, but Dr Anthony Smith hopes it will provide a model for health care in other remote Indigenous communities.
"Our job though over the next three years is to build together some valuable evidence so that at the end of the three years we hope to be able to develop a model which can be used in other communities throughout Queensland, and also I guess nationally as well, because it's of national importance."Dr Perry says the trial is a start but he wants the State and Federal Government to do more.
"White Australia have got this illusion that Aboriginal people get it easy, that they get cheap housing loans, that they get wonderful free social security access that they don't get. Well that is completely wrong. We've completely ignored them and they're living a life essentially of squalor in the lucky country and it's a national disgrace."
Well done Dr Chris Perry, best wishes in your efforts to deal with a scandal on our doorstep.
... The story of Pinky is a great memory for Danica. While she was in surgery I went for a walk down town. I met up with the very amazing Tony Sullivan, selling tickets outside the Commonwealth Bank. I told him Danica was in hospital. I came past an hour later and Tony was excited to see me, he had a gift for Danica. Pinky was a special part of her recovery, just the right size to snuggle up with in the hospital bed. Tony's body is confined to a wheelchair, but he has a cheeky sense of humour, from his Dad, the very awesome Mick Sullivan, one of my all time heroes.
No comments:
Post a Comment