3,000 Child Health Checks Completed In The NT, Australia

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 15 Oct 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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The number of Aboriginal children in the NT who have received a comprehensive medical check as part of the Commonwealth Government's Northern Territory Emergency Response reached 3,000 this week.

This milestone is a tribute to the many doctors and nurses who have offered their services over the past three months to support the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal children.

A total of 43 medical teams, each including a doctor and several nurses, have visited 35 remote NT communities since the initiative began.

I commend the many health care professionals who have committed their time and expertise for three-week deployments to these communities.

I also wish to thank the medical associations and other health professional groups that have made a major contribution to the recruitment of doctors and nurses.

I would particularly like to acknowledge the significant assistance of the Australian Medical Association, under the leadership of its Federal President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, in helping us recruit doctors to provide their time and skills for the Child Health Checks.

The Commonwealth Government has committed a $100 million for more doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and specialist services as part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response. This is in addition to the $83 million announced earlier for child health checks and follow-up services.

I encourage health professionals to participate through their professional organisations.

http://www.health.gov.au

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