Indigenous people continue to be failed by Australia's health and justice systems, as the number of those going to jail nears record levels.
The Australian Medical Association projects that 10,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders will be in custody by mid-2016.
That follows a 10 per cent jump in indigenous prisoners from 2013 to 2014.
"And the situation is only going to get worse unless we take immediate action," president Brian Owler said at the launch of AMA's 2015 Indigenous Health Report Card in Canberra on Wednesday.
The AMA is calling on the federal government to set a national target to help "close the gap" on the number of indigenous Australians going to jail.
They account for 28 per cent of full-time adult prisoners and are 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-indigenous people.
That jumps to 17 times more likely for those aged between 10 and 17.
Professor Owler said the gap was symptomatic of the wider gap in health, with mental health conditions, alcohol and other drug use among the most significant drivers of imprisonment.
"These health issues must be targeted as a part of an integrated effort to reduce imprisonment rates," he said.
Despite significant improvements over past decades, Prof Owler said neither the health nor prison health system was able to appropriately respond to the needs of those in custody.
Minister for Rural Health Fiona Nash said the statistics were "confronting" and acknowledged that improving indigenous health was one of Australia's most significant challenges.
"While we have seen some promising trends in child mortality rates, life expectancy, chronic disease rates and a reduction in smoking rates, we still have a long way to go," she said.
The report makes five recommendations, including a "close the gap" target and investment in services that will divert Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people from prison.
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