An Indigenous health group has criticised the Victorian government in the wake of a damning report by the state's ombudsman highlighting the deeply confronting and distressing conditions for Indigenous prisoners.

On Thursday, the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) said they were "staggered" the government continued to "dismiss the inadequate healthcare of Aboriginal people in prisons," arguing they seek to avoid accountability, rather than take responsibility.

Outgoing ombudsman Deborah Glass said the findings made it clear Aboriginal people's needs were not being met, despite the government attempting to create community-led solutions.

"Some of the things we heard were deeply confronting and distressing," she said.

"What we heard also reflected that for Aboriginal people, health is holistic and includes not only physical but mental, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual wellbeing."

The report criticised a lack of Indigenous involvement in policies that directly impacted First Nations people, highlighting the testimony of one Indigenous prisoner using a pencil sharpener and tweezers to treat an ingrown toenail after delays in seeing a doctor.

When he eventually asked for a Band-Aid, the prison officers were unable to be provided with one.

"I said to them, 'Can I get some Band-Aids please?'...I've got an issue with my toe'...They went and had a look, they didn't even have any Band-Aids there," the prisoner said, according to the report.

VACCHO chief executive Jill Gallagher, who previously led a cultural review for the Department of Justice into the adult correction system, said she found it astonishing the department had rejected some of the testimony given by Aboriginal people as not accurately representing the situation.

"Right now, there is a coronial investigation hearing into how an Aboriginal man in prison who was heard saying "I'm dying", was seen trying to drink water from a toilet because he was denied water and was left to die as paramedics were called too late," Ms Gallagher said.

"The Government cannot brush these away as one-off failures. One person dying is not acceptable. One person being denied treatment is not acceptable. But it's not just one person."

The ombudsman report said: "As the comments made by Aboriginal people in prisons were anonymised, healthcare providers and the Department were unable to confirm the facts of each case."

"Their responses broadly emphasised that the experiences described did not align with their standard ways of operating and, in some cases, called into question the stories we heard from Aboriginal people in prison."

In response to the damning report, Victoria's Department of Justice and Community Safety said many of the interviews with inmates took place in May, before significant changes to healthcare provisions came into effect in July.

"Many of the quotes and case studies relate to experiences under the previous service model and/or providers and that a number of substantial changes have since been made," a statement read.

The ombudsman report found common themes regarding the treatment of Aboriginal prisoners, including inadequate mental health, delays in accessing healthcare, and harmful attitudes held by both custodial and healthcare staff.

"Justice Health did not demonstrate a strong understanding of health from an Aboriginal perspective, the provision of culturally responsive healthcare and factors impacting the health of Aboriginal people in prison," the report said.

Ms Gallagher said the Victorian government should not cast aspersions, or blame others, but act to fix the system.

"During my review, I heard from dozens of Aboriginal and non-Indigenous people who told me of the same failures and suffering," Ms Gallagher said.

"The ombudsman backs this up."

VACCHO said in the wake of the referendum result, and the Yoorrook truth-telling process currently underway - both of which are mired in Aboriginal experiences being disregarded or ignored - it was disappointing to see a government department "continue the cycle of dismissing the lived experience of Aboriginal people in Victoria".

Furthermore, VACCHO said they welcomed the recommendation from the ombudsman that Indigenous organisations should be involved in designing healthcare services for prisons, as well as increasing the number of Aboriginal health professionals working in custodial facilities.

They noted these recommendations were made in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and the Victorian government had actually agreed to develop a culturally appropriate and holistic health care mode in prisons as part of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement in 2018 - VACCHO being a signatory.

"While VACCHO welcomes the continued commitment to Aboriginal-led care as a clear solution, the reality is Victoria has delivered yet another report delivering a recommendation that should have been implemented 30 years ago," Ms Gallagher said.

She said the time for reviews was over and needed to be replaced with action.

Ms Gallagher called for the government to provide ACCHOs with resources and decision-making power to develop a culturally safe healthcare model for all Victorian prisons.

"It is now time to act before another member of Community dies in the Victorian prison system," she said.