Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory facts for kids
The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) is an important group that helps Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia. It works to make sure Aboriginal people have good healthcare. AMSANT is a group that doesn't make a profit. It gets money from the Australian government, the Northern Territory government, and other helpful groups.
AMSANT has offices in Alice Springs and Darwin. But it helps people with medical care all over the Northern Territory. It is also part of bigger groups like the Northern Territory Aboriginal Health Forum and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). These groups work together on health plans for Aboriginal people.
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History of AMSANT
AMSANT started in October 1994. This happened at a meeting of health services in Central Australia. A year later, AMSANT asked the Australian Government to change how money for Aboriginal healthcare was managed. They wanted the money to go to a different government office.
AMSANT also asked the government for more money. This was to help Aboriginal health services during a time called the Northern Territory Emergency Response.
What AMSANT Does
AMSANT helps Aboriginal health services. It speaks up for the right of local Aboriginal communities. They believe these communities should control their own healthcare services. AMSANT also works to make sure these services get enough money.
As a main group, AMSANT helps its member services. It asks for better health for Aboriginal people. It also supports Aboriginal people making their own decisions about their health. AMSANT represents its member services in important meetings.
AMSANT's Vision
AMSANT has a special goal it is working towards. It wants Aboriginal community-controlled health services in the Northern Territory to be strong and successful. It wants them to be part of the NT health system. This way, they can give excellent healthcare that fits the community's needs.
AMSANT works with Aboriginal communities. Some communities want to start their own health service. Others want more say in how their local health service works. AMSANT's main job is to support its members. It helps them give high-quality healthcare to Aboriginal communities.
How AMSANT Works
All AMSANT member services meet regularly. These meetings happen at least every four months. The general meeting is where AMSANT makes its main decisions. They try to agree on things together, so they don't often need to vote.
AMSANT also has a board. This board is chosen by the members each year. The board can make decisions for AMSANT between the general meetings. As of August 2025, John Paterson is the CEO of AMSANT.
AMSANT Member Health Services
AMSANT has many community-controlled Aboriginal health services as members. These include:
- Amoonguna Health Clinic
- Ampilatwatja Health Centre Aboriginal
- Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation
- Balunu Foundation (Balunu)
- Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Program Unit (CAAAPU)
- Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC)
- Council for Aboriginal Alcohol Program Services (CAAPS)
- Danila Dilba Health Service
- Ilpurla Aboriginal Corporation
- Kakadu Health Service
- Katherine West Health Board
- Laynhapuy Homelands Association
- Ltyentye Apurte
- Malabam Health Board
- Marthakal Homeland
- Miwatj Health
- Mutitjulu Health Service
- Ngalkanbuy Health Service
- Pintubi Homelands Health Service
- Sunrise Health Service
- Urapuntja Health Service, Utopia, Northern Territory
- Utju Health Service
- Western Aranda Health Aboriginal Corp (WAHAC)
- Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corp (WDNWPT)
- Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Health Service
AMSANT Activities
AMSANT has many programs and projects. All of them aim to improve healthcare for Aboriginal communities. These services are controlled by the local community. Some of their activities include:
- eHealth: Using technology to improve health services.
- Research and Policy: AMSANT helps with research projects. It also creates policies and gives advice to the government on Aboriginal health.
- Public Health: AMSANT has medical officers who work on public health. They also run a network and a group that gives advice on public health.
- Leadership: AMSANT offers programs to help people who work in Aboriginal health services become better leaders.
- Workforce Support: They help health services find and hire staff. This includes doctors, nurses, and Aboriginal health workers. They also ask for better training for these jobs.
- Other Support: This includes helping with computer systems and creating guides for health services. They also help services get official approval and improve their quality.
Why Community Control Matters
Only Aboriginal community-controlled health services can be members of AMSANT. AMSANT believes that community control is very important. It helps provide the best healthcare to Aboriginal communities.
For a health service to be an AMSANT member, it must meet certain rules:
- It must be a legally separate group.
- Its rules must make sure Aboriginal people control it. This means they apply the idea of self-determination.
- It must have ways to be accountable. This includes open meetings for all local community members. The management committee must be chosen by the local Aboriginal community.
NACCHO
Pat Turner was the CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) in 2017.
