The Punmu and Parnngurr Aboriginal Health Clinics in the Western desert of Australia serve some of the remotest communities in Australia, lying 1800km from Perth and hundreds of kilometers from the nearest towns. They make up two of the four remote communities of the Martu who lived in their country for millennia before becoming some of the last Aboriginal people to have contact with Europeans. Punkurunu Aboriginal Medical Service (PAMS), a community organization with a Martu Aboriginal board, is the sole provider of primary health care services for the four Martu communities.
© Brett Boardman
PAMS required two replacement clinics which addressed the programmatic constraints and modest budget of AUD$2 million per clinic, whilst reinforcing the organizational approach of respect of people, land, and culture to create a facility with community ownership. The project sought to replace the original clinics which were built when the communities were established in the 1980s and were no longer fit for purpose. In doing so, the new clinics made provision for visiting specialists and allied health professionals to broaden the reach and quality of health delivery for the complex comorbidities which are worsening Aboriginal health. © Brett Boardman
Meaningful engagement with the community facilitated cultural appropriateness in the design and engenders ownership in the buildings. The clinics reflect the community model of care, placing health and wellness at the center of the commu...