A NSW Rural Doctors Network state-wide assessment found that Aboriginal children are over three times more likely to experience ear or hearing problems compared with non-Aboriginal children.

In order to close that substantial gap, the RDN on Monday sponsored its second surgical clinic at the Port Macquarie Base Hospital.

The clinic specifically targeted Aboriginal children and youth in the Mid-North Coast region after four children from Kempsey and Port Macquarie underwent surgery in February.

The ear, nose and throat procedures are provided to supplement the hospital's existing surgical lists in response to pressing ear and hearing health needs that were identified through the RDN assessment.

The assessment found many Aboriginal families have limited access to ENT services and other studies indicate that close to 10 per cent of Aboriginal children have ear or hearing problems compared to three per cent of non-Aboriginal children.

RDN supports this and similar ENT services in other parts of NSW and has worked in close partnership with Werin Aboriginal Corporation Medical Centre, Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical Services, Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNC LHD) and ENT surgeons to provide these surgeries for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the community.

The new service is funded through the Australian government's 'Healthy Ears, Better Hearing, Better Listening' program and may eventually be expanded to receive referrals from Galambila Aboriginal Health Service in Coffs Harbour.

The surgery was provided by Dr John Curotta from The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

Dr Curotta, who has provided an outreach ENT consulting service at Durri and Werin since August last year, said providing the surgery in the community will remove barriers to access for local aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, including cost of travel and disruption to family life.

LHD Hastings Macleay Clinical Network coordinator Jane Evans also welcomed the program.

"Until now, some children and their families in rural and regional NSW have had to travel long distances to Sydney for ENT surgeries," she said.

Program Manager at Durri AMS in Kempsey Paula Skinner, said that access to this surgery closer to home will ensure better continuity of care and result in less economic and social stress for these families during treatment. CEO of Werin AMS Fay Adamson, said that the high incidence of ear disease in aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth impacts on their health, social interaction, language, communication, literacy and numeracy development.

"We want to reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffering avoidable hearing loss and give these children on the Mid North Coast a better start to life," she said.