Global Community Assessment: Australia

Medical travel can be very stressful physically, emotionally, and financially. Moreover, due to very high unemployment rate most of the families cannot afford to have their own transportation vehicles to access primary care in the community. Transportation issue can also lead to missing appointments or delayed treatments. There are minimal health care services in the aboriginal communities, particularly those that are in rural, remote, and in north with limited to access to medical technology, equipment, supplies and medications (HCC, 2013). Majority of Aboriginals do not have access to technology, therefore, access to health information and promotion is limited. Telehealth and other virtual or mobile health care programs are available; the problem is that communities do not always have adequate information and communication technology and other infrastructures to reliably deliver these programs. The lack of a modern

The Indigenous health workforce (doctors, nurses etc.) remains disproportionately low when compared to the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that make up the Australian population.

The Assimilation policy (1961) has impacted on Indigenous Australians within their physical and mental state and identity present in today’s society. Australia is commonly considered to be free and fair in their culturally diverse societies, but when the Indigenous population is closer looked into, it is clear that from a social and economical view their health needs are disadvantaged compared to non-Indigenous equals. In relation to this, the present Indigenous health is being impacted by disadvantages of education, employment, income and health status. Even urban Indigenous residents are being affected just as much as those residing in remote and rural areas of Australia.

“Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people have a greater amount of disadvantage and significantly more health problems than the non-Aboriginal & Torres strait Islander population in Australia”

Critical factors, highlight why things are as they are and if there are possible alternatives (Germov 2011, p.9). Institutionalized racism is a critical reason for the disadvantages indigenous people face that could be expressed implicitly or explicitly (Larson, 2007). The Indigenous population directly experiencing racism through social and political institutions, is critical and a determining factor for their current state (Larson, 2007). Institutional racism is measured through the socio- economic status of certain minorities (Larson, 2017). Although racism is mostly implicit nowadays, it is still overall evident in the social health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians today (Jackson 1999).The gap between the health statuses of Indigenous Australians as opposed to non-indigenous people are high (Darren, 2007). There is an estimated gap of 17 years between indigenous and non-indigenous life expectancy in Australia (Darren, 2007). This could be due to the absence of equal public health resources in primarily remote areas (Darren, 2007). There is Lack of Access to safe drinking water, effective sewage systems and healthy housing in indigenous neighborhoods (Darren, 2007). This further impacts Indigenous socially as many of them are subjected to poor living standards due to the inability from the government to provide the

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social

Inequality in health is one of the most controversial topics within Australian Health Care. Inequality in relation to health is defined as being “differences in health status or in the distribution of health determinants between different population groups” (World Health Organization, 2012). Within Australia inequality affects a wide range of population groups; however Indigenous Australians are most widely affected therefore this paper will focus on how inequality has impacted their health. Research shows that Australia’s Indigenous people suffer from a multitude of social and economic inequalities such as inadequate access to nutritious food and health care, being socially and

The majority of health issues that the Aboriginal community faces are related directly and indirectly to social, economic, cultural and political areas. Infrastructure, housing, employment, income, environmental and education are connected to the individual and community based effects of health.

How we define health differs to how Indigenous Australians define health. The World Health Organisation defines health as “not only the absence of infirmity and disease but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being” (WHO, 1946) However, the National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party (1989)

According to Vass, Mitchell, and Dhurrkay (2011), the incidence of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, renal disease, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive airway disease among Indigenous Australians is quite significant. In addition, the presence of mental health conditions and infectious diseases such as scabies, skin infections and rheumatic fever has also attributed considerably to the disease burden (Vass, et al, 2011). As a disability support worker, I had the opportunity to look after indigenous clients. With my experience working with them, it shed some light on me with how they value their culture and gave me an insight on their view about health concerning issues. I had my misconceptions about how aboriginal people

Further, low income, unemployment, racism, lack of education further deteriorate their quality-of-life and well-being (Carson, Dunbar, Chenhall, & Bailie, 2007). Therefore “closing the gap” on indigenous disadvantage is crucial for archive equality in life expectancy, health status, education and employment between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians (Black & Richards, 2009).

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social

The social determinants of health are described as the condition of daily living in which determines the individual’s chances of maintaining optimum health (Department of Health and Human Services 2015). In Australia, the health inequality between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians is noted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to have the largest disparity in the world (Markwick et al. 2014). Statistically, the life expectancy for indigenous Australians who are born in 2010-2012 is estimated to be 10.6 years lower when compared to non-indigenous Australians (Markwick et al. 2014). Social determinants such as employment and social exclusion may contribute to the major difference in the health status between the indigenous and non-indigenous Australians (Markwick et al. 2014). This essay will focus on discussing how having employment and social exclusion has led to the health inequalities between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, and how indigenous healthcare nurses can address these determinants in the care they provide in the indigenous community setting.

hrough historical and socio-political context, it has caused a ‘gap’ between indigenous children’s health and other parts of the country. The ‘gap’, refers to the immense health and life-expectation inequality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This inequality includes higher rates of infant mortality, shorter life expectancy, poorer health and lower levels of education and employment. One of the key issues and concerns in aboriginal children’s health in remote and urban areas is obesity. The 2004-2005 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) found that obesity is becoming an increasing problem in the Indigenous population.(National Audit Office.

Due to the very high unemployment statistics, free or discounted healthcare services are required for the indigenous population to ensure they regularize a stable and healthy life. Ensuring that Medicare and access to pharmaceuticals are easily available one of the major priorities. A stable amount of funding should be provided to child and maternal health activities and services, youth assistance services and health campaigns and services that support no smoking and drinking. After the age of 19, the indigenous population numbers decrease quite suddenly. Services specified for indigenous Australians from the ages of 19 and onwards should be greater enforced, these services should include domestic support systems, more elderly support organisations,