A $30 million partnership between the Durri and Birapi Aboriginal medical services, Mid-North Coast Area Health and the federal and state governments was signed on June 27. The agreement will apply Commonwealth funding to such indigenous health problems as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and renal failure. At present, life expectancy rates for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders are 19 to 20 years lower than that for other Australians, and deaths from kidney failure are 8 times as great among indigenous men and 5 times as great among indigenous women.
