Desleigh Shields followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a healthcare worker in Barunga. In Barunga, where high-risk pregnancies are on the rise, Aboriginal health practitioners (AHPs) like Desleigh Shields are in high demand. There has been a 52 per cent increase in young Aboriginal people with gestational and pre-existing diabetes in the NT over the last four years Aboriginal women are three times less likely to go to a clinic for their first antenatal visit to detect diseases Medical professionals say Indigenous healthcare workers are key to helping pregnant women attend clinics for their scans Acting as a translator between doctor and patient and using her hard-earned medical training and insights from growing up on country, Ms Shields is at the forefront of an immense health battle gripping Aboriginal communities. That battle is chronic disease, and in communities like Barunga, AHPs of Ms Shields’s calibre are critical to […]