The Cairns Hospital will feature in revealing documentary on strained Indigenous healthcare system

A revealing documentary will highlight the Cairns Hospital in a powerful examination of the strained Indigenous healthcare system.

Emergency Department Specialist Dr Tatum Bond outside The Cairns Hospital. Picture: Supplied by SBS and NITV

A revealing documentary will highlight the Cairns Hospital in a powerful examination of the strained Indigenous healthcare system.

Ngadjonji woman and Cairns-based doctor Tatum Bond, who is one of only 10 Indigenous emergency department specialists in Australia, will feature in a six-part documentary series titled Our Medicine.

Dr Bond said the documentary spotlights chronic issues of Indigenous healthcare, including the ongoing gaps in life expectancy, child mortality and birthrates.

“Our Medicine showcases the work we do with Indigenous patients to try and take charge of our health disparities, and improve the healthcare outcomes for Indigenous patients,” Dr Bond said.

Dr Bond is an emergency department specialist at the Cairns Hospital and a retrieval doctor for The Royal Flying Doctors Service Queensland.

“There’s a lack of access to healthcare, a lot of what I do is retrieving patients from small communities where there’s not even a doctor in the town most days of the week,” Dr Bond said.

Emergency Department Specialist Dr Tatum Bond on shift at The Royal Flying Doctors Service Queensland. Picture: Supplied by SBS and NITV

“They don’t have access to the same medical imaging or pathology that you can get within an hour of coming to the Cairns emergency department.

“In remote communities there are also issues in accessing clean drinking water and fresh healthy foods in communities

“Go to the store in Coen on the eastern Cape and it’s $10 for a single tiny piece of broccoli, it’s more than just delivering healthcare unfortunately that we need to be working on.”

In 2022 Dr Bond became Queensland’s first Indigenous emergency department specialist.

“The main reason I signed up to do the documentary was because we need more Indigenous doctors and nurses in the workforce, and I want to show people that you can do it,” Dr Bond said.

“I’m one of roughly 10 Indigenous emergency specialists in Australia, out of about 3000 specialists in the country.

“Three per cent of our population identify as First Nations, so to get that workplace parity would be absolutely incredible.

Emergency Department Specialist Dr Tatum Bond on shift at The Cairns Hospital. Picture: Supplied by SBS and NITV

“As Indigenous healthcare workers we come from a different upbringing, different spiritual grounding.

“It is easier for us to create that rapport with patients who are First Nations, to be able to sit down and yarn with them.

“We don’t have that same colonialism as some of our non-First Nations colleagues, it’s not first nature for them to ask where their country is, or to find out who the family spokesperson is.

“The more Indigenous people we have in these jobs, the stronger our voice is going to be, and the more change that we can make from the inside out.”

Behind the scenes of Our Medicine with series director Kimberley Benjamin. Picture: Supplied by SBS and NITV

The Our Medicine documentary series will highlight health organisations across Australia, including the Cairns Hospital and the Royal Flying Doctors Service Queensland.

Other locations include Royal Melbourne Hospital in Victoria, Jalngangurru Healing in Western Australia and NSW Justice Health.

Our Medicine premieres on SBS and NITV on May 29 at 7.30pm, with double episodes rolling out weekly.

Originally published as The Cairns Hospital will feature in revealing documentary on strained Indigenous healthcare system