The solutions are already there.

I would like to offer my congratulations to Juli Coffin for her thoughtful, wise and well-written letter on the recent actions by the Commonwealth Government in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia. As a researcher who has had the privilege of being able to listen to and document insights from our Aboriginal peoples and the many health professionals who provide care to them, I would like to also affirm the notion that changes must be driven from within the whole community. It is now well documented that in the Northern Territory there is a richness of service provision initiatives driven by dedicated workers with a wide range of skills and insights who are achieving important outcomes with limited resources. Long distances, practical obstacles to travel such as poor roads and the wet season, along with problems with equipment, lack of power and communications, limited personnel and a lack of local community-based services are but a few of the obstacles documented in the health arena. In spite of these challenges, the research indicates that those involved in providing health care to Aboriginal peoples in the rural and remote areas are dedicated people who understand the need for cultural respect and the importance of building trusting relationships over time.