A national advertising blitz is hoping to lure more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to work in Indigenous health.

The $4.3 million Federal Government campaign is aimed at attracting more people into Indigenous health jobs spanning allied health, nursing and medicine.

The campaign was launched on July 24 with television, radio, print and online advertising along with a dedicated website.

Sydney trainee physiotherapist Christopher Webster is one of the faces of the campaign.

“When people talk about our mob’s health, you only hear the bad stuff,” Mr Webster says in the advertisement.

“But just look at our athletes. When our people get the right health care, we’re unbeatable…I’m training to be a physiotherapist in Sydney.

“I’m helping our people get stronger. So they’re fit enough to tackle anything.

“There are hundreds of different health jobs.”

The campaign comes as Australian labour force figures show there were only 153 Indigenous medical professionals and 1598 registered and enrolled nurses in 2008 – which equates to just 0.2 and 0.6 percent of the entire health workforce.

Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon said research showed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to seek primary health care when it is provided by their own people.

“We need more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs, paramedics, medical receptionists, nurses, sports physiotherapists, dental assistants, and dietitians to better respond to the particular needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians,” he said.

“This campaign will target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary school students to encourage them to pursue a job in the health sector and make them more aware of the opportunities in health, including the range of jobs, training options, career pathways and financial and other types of support available.”