Doc honoured for work with Wathaurong

A VICTORIAN GP has been recognised for his service and support to Australia’s Indigenous communities after he was awarded a prestigious Victorian Rural Health Award.

Acting medical director Dr Ed Poliness, 49, has been honoured for his work at the Geelong-based Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative.

Dr Poliness won the Closing the Gap Award, which recognises a health professional who has made significant contributions in providing care to Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander patients and Communities in which they practice.

Dr Poliness said he was thrilled to win the award on behalf of his hard-working team and the local community.

“I’ve been working at Wathaurong for about 10 years and in Aboriginal health generally for about 20 years, and I love working in an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation (ACCO),” he said.

“Members drive and decide the important things in their health so it’s a great area to work in.

“While I won the award, it’s really the team I work with and the communities I work for that should be winning this award.”

After starting work in Aboriginal health in 1998 in the Kimberley region in Western Australia, Dr Poliness’s travels have taken him to most states in Australia except South Australia,

The whole of person approach to Aboriginal health and wellbeing was especially appealing and rewarding, he said.

“The health service puts together a team that are experts in different areas, and you get to work with Aboriginal health workers who actually understand their patients’ needs.

“They can often translate things to a doctor which they might not know because they really understand what’s going on for that person and what their
needs are.”

Dr Poliness said working for an Aboriginal health co-operative was more rewarding than a typical GP role in a private practice.

“It’s about working for the Community and working for the people and they get to decide the general pathways and structures of the health system looking after their health,” he said.

“For trainees, there are definitely opportunities in this sector.

“But for anyone at any stage in their career, it’s something really worth trying and it’s a huge opportunity for Australian doctors.

“You’re working with one of the oldest communities in the world – it’s a thrill to be part of something like that.

Despite a devastating second wave of COVID-19 in Victoria, ACCOs were largely successful in responding to the coronavirus, with just 74 positive cases in Victoria’s Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander population of 58,000.

The awards honour the exceptional medical specialists, GPs, nurses, Aboriginal health workers, general practices, practice managers, allied health professionals, GP locums, and medical students working across rural Victoria.