Health Dept withdraws anatomy posters that mix up ovaries with kidneys and stomach with lungs

The Federal Health Department of Australia has been forced to withdraw one of its Aboriginal health posters after it was revealed to contain embarrassing errors about basic human organs. The poster, titled Female Human Anatomy, confuses the stomach with the lungs and incorrectly labels the ovaries as kidneys.

It also has an arrow pointing to the intestine, but instead calls it the stomach. The poster also shows two pancreases. The poster, distributed to health workers as part of the Labor Government's Living Longer program is aimed at improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.



Opposition Indigenous health spokesman Andrew Laming says the campaign has been "severely undermined" by the errors. "The lack of any attention to detail in these posters is an insult to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that were the target audience for this material," Dr Laming said. "[Indigenous Health] Minister Warren Snowdon needs to immediately recall these inaccurate posters and correct them."

Mr Snowdon's office says the Department of Health and Ageing is currently in the process of recalling the inaccurate posters. "It is unacceptable and shouldn't have gone out. I've asked for all affected posters to be recalled immediately," Mr Snowdon said in a statement. The department said in a statementa; "The image printed and distributed had some errors that crept in during the preparation of the final print artwork files and which unfortunately were missed in the final checking process."