Psychiatrists express concern at Danila Dilba ‘crisis’, call on governments to provide funding

The peak national body for psychiatrists has called on the NT and Federal governments to urgently address the “crisis” that is Danila Dilba’s closure to new patients.

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THE peak body for Australia and New Zealand’s psychiatrists has called on the NT and Federal governments to urgently address the “crisis” that is Danila Dilba’s closure to new patients.

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) NT Branch Chair Dr David Chapman said the news from last week has raised serious concerns for the mental health of Indigenous Territorians.

“The consequences of chronic underfunding in the Northern Territory is that services such as Danila Dilba do not have the resources to meet the demand for services that has grown over time and been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis,” he said.

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“This is occurring within a health system where mental health services are the most neglected of all medical services in the NT and will have dire impacts on those most vulnerable.

Dr Chapman said the closure will put even more strain on the NT’s other already overstretched health services.

“The Adult Teams and the Access Team will be expected to meet the demand – where they are already overstretched, and so clients will attend Emergency Departments, where the hospital system will be even more overwhelmed than it is,” he said.

“We rely heavily on Danila Dilba to facilitate mental health care for Indigenous Australians in urban areas and those visiting for treatment from remote communities.

“Our state’s mental health system cannot afford the closure of this essential facility and by doing so, the government is putting our people and communities at great risk.”

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