Binjari

Binjari Health Service provides a range of health services to the Indigenous people of Binjari, a community with a population of around 300, located 18 kilometers to the south-west of Katherine.

The health centre had previously operated as part of the Binjari Community Government Council, but with the winding up of the Council in early 2006, overall management has been provided by ourselves under an auspicing arrangement. An advisory board made up of Binjari community members meets regularly with health centre staff, and this provides a forum where specific health issues and requirements are identified and discussed, and sets direction for the health centre.

The centre is staffed by three nurses (two of which are authorised to practice midwifery), an Aboriginal Health Worker, and a Trainee Aboriginal Health Worker. A General Practitioner provides services to the centre one day per week.

Specific programs are conducted regularly. These target men’s health, women’s health, child and maternal health, sexual health, and chronic disease management. Health promotion and education is significant in all these, focusing on substance misuse and excessive alcohol consumption, nutrition, smoking, and physical activity.