Another program with VicOutreach Services is the Medical Outreach Indigenous Chronic Disease Program (MOICDP). The aim of the MOICDP is to increase access to a range of health services, including expanded primary health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the treatment and management of all chronic diseases, especially where the chronic disease is defined as a condition that has been (or likely to be) present for six months or more.
The priorities of the program are the treatment and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, renal disease and cancer.
Working in collaboration with the ACCHOs, 85 service providers and the Outreach team at RWAV, 878 outreach visits were provided across Victoria from July 2017 to April 2018. This funding provided the delivery of 4,678 occasions of service to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients as illustrated in Figure 1. This year’s work marks a milestone in the collaboration and community driven approach within this program, with the ACCHOs managing outreach contracts and further developing partnerships with local health professionals to address community needs effectively.
Figure 2 illustrates the total number of visits, clients seen and providers per PHN region.
The bar graph in Graph 1 illustrates the total number of health disciplinary providers contracted under MOICDP. Of the total number of providers contracted to deliver services under MOICDP, 63 percent (51) were health professionals (e.g., allied health, Aboriginal health workers and nurses) and 37 percent (30) were medical specialists (e.g., specialists and general practitioners).
The bar graph in Graph 2 illustrates the top three allied health professions by total number of providers and, occasions of service, they provided to clients. The data underscores the need for podiatry, as compared to other allied health professions. Of the specialities, podiatry provided the highest number of visits (159) and occasions of services (870 clients), followed by physiotherapy (132 visits, 646 clients) and dieticians (50 visits, 132 clients).
The bar graph in Graph 3 illustrates the high-level need for paediatricians as compared to other medical specialist disciplines in the state. Overall, paediatricians provided more visits (74) and occasions of services (456 clients) than any other medical specialist disciplines, such as endocrinology (30 visits, 143 clients) and cardiology (20 visits, 142 clients) from July 2017 to April 2018.
