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Perth Travel Expo

Once again, concerns need to be raised about the fact that NO information about the prevention of blood borne viruses and STI's was made available at a major event in Perth.

It is disappointing that the numerous calls from grass roots community groups and the Australian Medical Association WA for information to be available at major events continue to be ignored by health policy makers. Fagmedia understands that certain agencies are fond of using "labels" to discredit, dismiss and divert attention away from policy implementation which does beg the question: Does the lack of information at Perth Travel Expo mean that the Australian Medical Association and the opinions of the WA President, are also considered by BBV and STI prevention agencies in WA to be irrelevant when it comes to matters of public health?  

 

It would also appear that the recent Bali HIV Tattoo "incident" has resulted in nothing other than a "business as usual" approach by all the key agencies in spite of the fact that every major media outlet, including TV and newsprint articles in the Sunday Times and the West Australian Newspaper have included stories about the alarming rate of infections in WA. The International Business Times has published a report, see link here, that "Medical experts in Great Britain are warning that gonorrhea may have mutated into a form that has made it resistant to drug treatments, rendering the disease potentially incurable".

The BBC quotes Dr Magnus Unemo, from the Swedish Research Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, as saying this was an alarming and predictable discovery... This new strain may spread rapidly unless new drugs and effective treatment programs are developed.” Dr David Livermore, Director of the antibiotic resistance monitoring laboratory at the UK based Health Protection Agency "Prevention is better than cure, especially as cure becomes harder” While Rebecca Findlay, from the Family Planning Association, (UK) said it was a worrying sign and "Prevention becomes more important because we know antibiotics won't always work. Gonorrhoea can affect people of all ages and everyone should be now focusing on looking after their sexual health", it is indeed interesting that in Perth the Family Planning Association, along with the WA AIDS Council, is one of the leading absentees from large targeted events! 

In terms of Perth's Travel Expo the list of tax payer funded absentees included the WA Department of Health, the WA AIDS Council, Hepatitis WA, Family Planning and the Federal Department of Health. While Kevin Rudd's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) did have a stall it was interesting that there was a total lack of information about Blood Borne Virus and STI prevention. Does this mean that Mr Rudd's Department thinks that losing a handbag or stubbing a toe overseas is more important than preventing serious infections? What does this say about the capacity and willingness of all funded agencies to work collaboratively with the community to prevent serious infections?

While Fagmedia does support the right of choice in relation to matters of reproduction we are concerned that the current ideologically driven agency turf driven public health policies are symbolically representative of outdated modes of thinking that hark back to the days when abortion was the only form of contraception available. Are not the high rates of abortion in this country evidence that abortion is still being used by some instead of prevention & contraception? Is this not evidence that education is not being delivered in a form that engages people's minds and leads to prevention underpinning behaviours? What is clear is that when presented with information and education the majority of Australian's do act responsibly to protect themselves from harm and yet in regards to matters of sexual health the choice and ability to be safe in the face of risk is being denied to everyday Australians. 

The Australian Medical Association has clearly stated that GP's, especially, those in regional areas, are being swamped by people needing treatment for BBV's and STI's and yet our city based policy makers in public health seem to be adopting an approach of burying their heads in the sand and hoping it will all go away. What is clear also is that these agencies all seem unwilling to engage in any open dialogue with the community about these important matters and health consumers who engage in policy development processes or question any poor public policy are openly persecuted and discriminated against by some people in positions of power. City based policy makers and politicians seem to be adopting an 1930's isolationist "lip service only" approach of "not our responsibility" to prevention that is both outdated and dangerous for YOUR health.

The fact is that there is a clear lack of collaboration occurring within this area is evidenced by the fact that no pamphlet from Blood Borne Virus Agency in WA was able to find it's way onto DFAT's stall. The current politics driving health prevention strategies were illuminated by the fact that when asked for information about Blood Borne Virus and STI prevention the DFAT staffer stated clearly "It is not our responsibility". Even more interesting was the fact that when asked where such information could be found the DFAT staffer was not able to identify a single credible source of information. Fagmedia wonders how many other members of the public were, also told the line "Our Smart Traveller website has information relating to Blood Borne Virus and STI prevention".

It is "interesting" that the Smart Traveller Website includes information about the By-Election for Districts of Port Adelaide and Ramsay 11 February 2012 - but when it comes to actual health information presented the only reference is to HIV as follows: "For more information on the spread of HIV/AIDS, visit the World Health Organisation website. It would appear that even Ministers in the Australian Government cannot get their own departments to work together to provide basic prevention information. How hard would it be to have an employed staff member to properly co-ordinate all essential information for the DFAT stall? Surely if DFAT does not have it's own information then how hard would it be for someone to pick up the phone and ask the WA AIDS Council or Hepatitis WA for a few pamphlets?

Are not the health needs of "We the People", who after all pay the taxes to fund Ministers, MPs and Government Departments and NGO's, more important than petty inter-agency politics? Western Australia is a rich mining state, with a Premier who has been given a budget of $35,000 for one office table! Given this wealth, the excuse "lack of resources" that is being used to defend not providing pamphlets lacks any credibility and it is time that those in the corridors of power started taking their duty of care to prevent illness and support those with infections more seriously.

The WA Minister for Health needs to urgently evaluate the core strategies and funding of all BBV and STI NGO's to properly determine if more resources are needed, as stated by the industry players, or whether the real issue is that there is a need for agencies to "start putting their money where their mouths are" and begin to reduce "wasted duplication" through better management, strategy planning and stewardship of the dollars currently being spent by these agencies.

Public Health and Prevention Programs are fundamentally important but easily overlooked in the petty drama of election campaigns. It would be wise if track records on implemented policies, as opposed to hollow political rhetoric infused with jingoistic slogans, could be remembered when it comes time for YOU to "choose who to vote for" at the next WA state and Federal Elections in 2013!

 

Click here to read about The Perth Brothers and Sisters of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence's invitation to appear before the Australian Parliament Regional Standing Committee!