Close the Gap - Koori Health
Closing the gap is a strategy that aims to reduce Indigenous disadvantage with respect to life expectancy, child mortality, access to early childhood education, educational achievement, and employment outcomes.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people get more chronic diseases and get them a lot earlier than non-Indigenous Australians. The government has introduced a new program to help many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians better manage their own health, and especially chronic diseases. If you are eligible to enrol, the PBS Co-payment measure (Close the Gap) will give you access to cheaper medicines and will assist you to better manage or prevent illness.
Your doctor will also offer you a preventative health check to help identify and treat any health problems you may have.
The Flu , is a virus infection that causes fever, tiredness, muscle aches, headache and cough. The flu generally makes you feel much worse than the common cold does, and can also lead to more serious health problems. Because older people are particularly susceptible to complications from the flu, such as pneumonia , and even death, vaccination against influenza is recommended for all Australians aged 65 and over, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over. (Indigenous Australians should be vaccinated from a younger age because their risk of pneumonia and death is much higher than that of other Australians.)
Free influenza vaccine is available for these groups of Australians at Old Bar Medical Centre.
Talk to your doctor for more information and to find out if you meet the full eligibility criteria .ph: 6553 7600.
http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/
https://www.health.gov.au/Indigenous