Now More Than Ever: National Reconciliation Week 2024
mini传媒入口
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a crucial time in Australia for truth telling, learning, and reflection on our collective history.
It is a time for us to acknowledge both the sovereignty of First Nations peoples on this land and the long history of systemic racism that continues today.
Most importantly, with this year鈥檚 NRW theme 鈥楴ow More Than Ever鈥, it is a time to come together to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation following the aftermath of the 2023 referendum for the Voice to Parliament. The fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will – and must – continue.
mini传媒入口 has recently reaffirmed its commitment to reconciliation with First Nations peoples and is dedicated to addressing systemic inequities that are evident in our healthcare system and the wider community.
Through the implementation of our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2024-26, we aim to build a future where First Nations peoples and communities have safe and equitable access to healthcare that is free from discrimination.
This year, mini传媒入口 has reflected on how to drive a sustained and ongoing effort and commitment to reconciliation from all College members, trainees, and staff 鈥 all year round. The College has used National Reconciliation Week as an opportunity to urge members and trainees to closely examine ways that they can further educate themselves, and the people around them, to improve the cultural responsiveness of healthcare practices for First Nations people in their care.
In honour of NRW 2024, mini传媒入口 has facilitated an opportunity for members and PGY 2-6 trainees to receive reimbursement of registration costs for completing the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) online between the months of May and July 2024.
mini传媒入口 has also released a to accompany the online AIDA Cultural Awareness mini传媒入口, which gives members and CPD affiliates an opportunity to consider how they can lead transformative change in this space, and which is also eligible for additional CPD points.
The College hosted an event for staff, where a First Nations Fmini传媒入口 trainee and family members shared their personal experiences of the training environment at mini传媒入口 and within hospital settings. This moving and thought-provoking discussion presented new perspectives on combating racism in the workplace, the stressful impact that training can have on the family system and challenging the status quo of training programs as we know them. Staff were invited to reflect on the determination of First Nations members, trainees, and patients, as well as their own implicit biases and the role that each of us play in reconciliation.
What’s next
As we look beyond NRW, it is essential that we work towards increasing the First Nations O&G workforce to bridge the gap in achieving equitable First Nations health outcomes. Systemic inequities still create barriers to First Nations people鈥檚 inclusion in healthcare 鈥 both as clinicians and as patients 鈥 and while mini传媒入口 offers financial assistance and support to First Nations trainees, there is still a lot more work to be done.
As a College, we must continue to dismantle systemic barriers from the inside to make way for sustained engagement, safe and inclusive spaces, and genuine recognition and respect of the First Peoples of this continent.
Resources
To learn more about how you too can play your part in reconciliation, check out the external resources below:
For media enquiries
Bec McPhee
Head of Advocacy & Communications
0413 258 166
bmcphee@ranzcog.edu.au