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Indigenous Health Research Paper

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Similarities and differences between Australian Indigenous health compared with Indigenous population in Canada, New Zealand and the United States
Indigenous populations usually represent a statistical minority and share a history of being politically and socially marginalized. This extends into health access and outcomes of these people. Indigenous people in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States also undergo similar challenges including poverty and alienation. This has resulted into social and health differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. In all the four countries, Indigenous populations experience more illness and disability and, have higher mortality and morbidity and poorer health outcomes than their …show more content…

The agreement had specific targets and time lines which were incorporated into the policy framework. The specific targets include: closing the gap in life expectancy within a generation; halving the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five years within ten years; ensuring all Indigenous four years olds in remote communities have access to early childhood education within five years; halving the gap for Indigenous students in reading, writing and numeracy within a decade; halving the gap for Indigenous students in year 12 attainment or equivalent attainment rates by 2020; and halving the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade. The agreement is framed within wider social causes of Indigenous disadvantage. They include; early childhood, schooling, health, economic participation, healthy homes, safe communities, and governance and leadership (Commonwealth of Australia 2009; MacRae et al, …show more content…

Primary Health Care (PHC)
Primary health care involves wider socio-environmental approach to health, which provides multidisciplinary care, supports community empowerment with major focus on prevention, health promotion and inter-sectoral partnerships. Primary healthcare plays a key role in addressing Indigenous health inequality using a cross-sectoral approach (WHO 2008).
PHC has improved health outcomes, helped minimize inequality and control the national healthcare costs in Australia. Primary health care ensures prevention, early detection and a more effective management of chronic illness. This is helping in tackling the increasing cases of chronic diseases among Aboriginal populations leading to reduced burden of disease, increased quality life years and reduced mortality rates. Furthermore, increased allocation of resources to resources to primary healthcare and ensuring better access have offset some of the negative impacts of socioeconomic disadvantage and inequality (Hurley et al. 2010).
Proposals for additional

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