The Australian Medical Association (AMA) wants Indigenous health issues to be placed on the agenda for this year's federal election.

President Bill Glasson says he is worried about the short life span of Indigenous people compared to non-Indigenous people.

He says the AMA would like to see more funding and better education programs to teach children how to look after themselves.

"Housing, water and sanitation, all those sort of issues, they have to be linked in because if you do not do that then all we're doing is patchwork," he said.

"We're trying to treat people with the diabetes, trying to treat people with chronic respiratory disease, when in reality we have to prevent them occurring in the first place."