The First Nations population is growing, but in many ways so are the inequities. We need to find pathways to nurture young First Nations people into health and social care education pathways in Australia. Professor Kong is an exemplar for what happens when we find such a pathway. Our challenge is to find ways to upscale these moves.
I read an article recently about the importance of Indigenous Scholarships in the systematic development of First Nations individuals to become leaders in improving the health outcomes for all people.
Professor Kelvin Kong is a hero of mine. As Australia's first Indigenous Ear, Nose and Throat specialist surgeon he is tackling one of the most widespread problems for First Nations people - lack of access to specialist care to ensure kids can hear well, learn well and thrive.
"Australia’s first Indigenous surgeon has urged more organisations to show their support for initiatives that help improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Professor Kelvin Kong, the 2023 NAIDOC Person of the Year, highlighted the importance of programs like the AMA’s Indigenous Medical Scholarship.
Professor Kong was one of the first scholarship recipients in 1997 and said not only did it provide crucial financial assistance during his medical studies at the University of NSW, it also provided significant personal motivation to push himself forward.
“When I was growing up, medicine was not even an option to anyone in our family. You were lucky enough to get through schooling, let alone think about university,” he said.
“The scholarship was a reminder for me that I deserved to be in that place, and to have that kind of support and encouragement was really important, as it enabled me to dream big.”
Professor Kong, a Worimi man, said receiving the scholarship also made him realise the importance of organisations such as the AMA showing leadership and driving change.
“People probably don’t realise the far-reaching consequences of the support of the AMA and their members in this space,” he said.
“Some people think that simply speaking up in support of First Nations Australians won’t do anything, when in actual fact, simply saying ‘this is something we believe in and this is something that’s important to us makes a huge difference.”
Professor Kong now works as one of the country’s foremost head and neck surgeons and has dedicated his career to the treatment and early intervention of chronic otitis media, which disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children". READ MORE HERE