Page 4478 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 18 October 2011
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Winnunga was established in 1988 as a culturally appropriate health service for Indigenous people of the ACT. When the service started in Griffith, it had one doctor, two health workers and a receptionist in a three-room facility. Winnunga quickly outgrew its origins and the health service moved to Ainslie. The new clinic expanded so quickly that it struggled to meet the increased number of patients and many consultations were held in its backyard as a result.
The thriving service is now located in Narrabundah, with doctors and other health professionals working together to provide a range of health services which are accessed by thousands of patients across the ACT. Dr Sharp played an integral role in Winnunga from its humble beginnings to the comprehensive health service it is today.
Dr Sharp’s immense contribution to the service was echoed by Winnunga CEO Julie Tongs after his untimely passing. She said:
Dr Pete was both our doctor and our friend. Without Dr Pete, we wouldn’t have Winnunga today. We have visited so many health clinics around the country, but none are as good as Winnunga and that’s all down to Dr Pete.
Dr Sharp’s work included conducting weekly clinics for Aboriginal inmates of prisons and juvenile detention centres. He was also a member of the ACT AMA board. An important focus of Dr Sharp’s recent work was the connection between substance abuse and prisons.
Dr Sharp received many awards during his career, especially for his work in training young doctors who may otherwise not have had the opportunity to be involved in Indigenous health service delivery. He was awarded the ACT local hero award in 2008, and appointed a Member of the Order of Australia last year. Dr Sharp also received the prestigious AMA excellence in health care award in 2009.
AMA President Dr Rosanna Capolingua described Dr Sharp’s work at the time as “truly inspirational”. She said that, under his guidance, the previously widespread problem of hepatitis B infections among the service’s clients had all but disappeared and childhood immunisation rates and birth weights had increased. Dr Sharp told the Canberra Times last year that the reason behind his 22 years with Winnunga was in part due to the significant improvements he made in improving these two key Indigenous health outcomes.
Dr Sharp was proud of his many awards, but he was also modest about his success, saying that his awards were for Winnunga, the Aboriginal community, his medical students and the dedicated staff. Dr Sharp’s dedication to improving the health outcomes for patients with substance abuse problems has resulted in the Dr Peter Sharp Trust being established under the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT.
Dr Sharp had an in-depth understanding of the complex health and cultural needs of his patients. In return he was held in high esteem by the local Indigenous community and by members of this Assembly.
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