Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory


The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory is the peak body for Aboriginal community controlled primary health services in the Northern Territory of Australia. It has offices in Alice Springs and Darwin but works across the entire Northern Territory. AMSANT was formally established in October 1994 at a meeting of Aboriginal health services which was held in Central Australia.
It is an independent, not for profit organisation and receives funding from the Australian Government, the Northern Territory Government and from a range of charities and non government organisations, including the Fred Hollows Foundation. AMSANT is a partner in the Northern Territory Aboriginal Health Forum, which determines Aboriginal health policy in the Northern Territory in conjunction with the Australian and Northern Territory governments. AMSANT is an affiliate of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.
In 1995 AMSANT successfully led the move take Australian Government funding of Aboriginal health from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission to direct funding through the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, a division of the Department of Health and Ageing. AMSANT played a leading role in ensuring significantly increased funding to Aboriginal Comprehensive Primary Health Care as a consequence of the Northern Territory Emergency Response.

Overview

AMSANT supports Aboriginal health services by advocating for the right of local Aboriginal communities to control their own primary health care services and to have those services funded adequately. As a peak body, AMSANT assists its member services through lobbying for improvements in the health status of Aboriginal people, promoting Aboriginal self-determination and community control and through representing its member services in meetings and negotiations.
AMSANT works with Aboriginal communities who wish to establish a community controlled Aboriginal health service, and with communities who do not control the existing local health service but wish to have greater input into determining the policies and priorities of the primary health services they do receive.
AMSANT’s focus is its work to support its members and assist them to provide high quality comprehensive primary health care services for Aboriginal communities. Primary health care means essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technologies which address the main health problems in the community through preventative, curative, rehabilitative and promotional services. It involves the treatment and prevention of disease and injury and the creation of the circumstances for personal and social well-being.

Structure and members

All of the AMSANT member services attend General Meetings which are held at least once every four months. The General Meeting is the main decision-making organ of AMSANT and it has full power to determine what action AMSANT will take on any issue. It is unusual for issues to come down to a vote, there being a strong emphasis on consensus decision-making. AMSANT also has a Board which is elected from the membership at the Annual General Meeting. The Board has authority to make decisions for AMSANT between the General Meetings.
AMSANT's Chairperson is Marion Scrymgour, who is also the CEO of Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Health Service. The
Chief Executive Officer is John Paterson.
The community controlled Aboriginal health services that are members of AMSANT are:
AMSANT has a range of programs and projects which all aim to improve the provision of comprehensive primary health care to Aboriginal communities by services controlled by the local community. They include:

Vision

AMSANT's vision statement describes what AMSANT is working to achieve:
Aboriginal community controlled health services in the Northern Territory will be independent and successful organisations, integrated into the NT health system, to provide high quality and effective primary health care services that are responsive to the needs of the community.

Community control

AMSANT membership is only for Aboriginal community controlled health services. Services that are controlled by government or commercial companies are excluded. AMSANT believes that community control is essential to providing the best comprehensive primary health care to Aboriginal communities. All of the health services which are AMSANT members: