Poor Health for Indigenous Australians - Essay Example

Running Head: POOR HEALTH FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS Poor Health For Indigenous Australians Name Institution Date Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian sub-continent, and nearby islands such as Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. They are mainly distinguished as Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently constitute only about 2.7% of the Australian population. The Torres Strait islanders are indigenous to the Torres Strait Islands, which are at the Northern –most tip of Queensland near Papua New Guinea, while the Aboriginal people (aborigines) are scattered in discrete parts of mainland Australian. In much of my research, I will be making reference mostly to the Aboriginal people of mainland Australian. They will thus constitute the largest proportion of my argument in this essay. Today over 95% of the population of Australia is made up of Europeans who arrived as settlers in the 16th century. Their arrival interrupted the distinct life pattern of the Aborigines and has contributed the their deteriorating health status as shown in a recent research by the Australian Bureau of statistics (ABS) which has shown a decreasing life expectancy and high child mortality rates, resulting in death of 38 out of every 100 children born of indigenous parents as exposed to the death of 19 of every 100 children born of non-indigenous parents. Many of these major underlying factors contributing to poor health outcomes for indigenous Australians range from historical, physical decision made as from 12778 by British settles concerning land ownership which disrupted the living styles of the Aborigines. Physical factors include their introduction to such destructive substance as tobacco and alcohol, and modern living styles, cultural factors involve their views on health issues, such as immunization and modern medicine and their views on health as encompassing the body, land and spirit. Due to lack of access to medical facilities indigenous Australians are twice likely to report their health as fair/poor and one and half times more likely to have a disability or long-time health condition. These health complications have resulted to low life expectancy among indigenous Australians as compared to the majority European (settler) population. This is mainly exuberated by such factors as poverty, lack of health facilities, insufficient education, substance abuse cultural practices which deny them access to health services as government health workers try to administer health treatment and advice to the Indigenous Australians they have time and again faced communication challenges.  However the government hasn’t given up their have been various attempts by the federal Government and to deal with these health problems. There has been implementation of programs such as the creation of the office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) which work to bring health services to the Indigenous communities but hasn’t fully succeeded in addressing the problem.  According to the Australian Indigenous Health Infonet (2009) there are a number of common health problems and risk factors afflicting Australian Indigenous people. A study of the age profile of the Australian population as derived from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2009 will reveal that the Indigenous population is relatively young as compared to the non-indigenous, with 38 out of every 100 aged 18yrs as compared to 19 out of every 100 of non-indigenous population. This could explain a health risk trend among the Indigenous people. Further research shows that Indigenous women give birth more times (2.5) in their life-time as compared to non-Indigenous women (2.3) and at a very young age. These babies are more likely to be of low birth-weight, and therefore more susceptible to health risk as compared to babies born by non-indigenous women. The fact that these people view immunization as uncultured further complicates this health status leading the high child mortality (child deaths). In another related research still undertaken  by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) it was shown that Indigenous people are likely to die before they are old than people in the rest of the Australian population. The life expectancy rate of Indigenous Australian is lower than that of non-indigenous Australians while the infant mortality rate of Indigenous babies is the highest.   The leading causes of death among indigenous people in a research done in 2007, was found to be heart conditions, self-harm/accident and cancer. There also exist a link between Historical Policies and practices and contemporary health. Traditional Aboriginal view of health is very of health is very much unlike that of the contemporary world as set out by the World Health Organization (WHO). The health of the Aboriginal people has always being a thorn in professional medics and the government of Australia. Though once considered the healthiest people on earth. The health of Aborigines has drastically reduced level to that in third world countries( Meredith and Franklin 1982) a person own values define his/her health in line with their cultural background (Potter and Perry, 1991)   It is thus very hard for one, not even a health professional, to understand the health of Aboriginal people without looking at it in their cultural context. This is so because they (Aboriginal people) encompass dignity, self-esteem justice and control over their physical environment. This is unlike in contemporary life where people generally view health as body fitness. It is thus not just the state of the body as considered by WHO they call it Punyu, and it encompasses not only the body but also land and spirit (Rose, 1984) they consider life and health as holistic, animistic and sacred thus, their (Europeans) invasion of their land and forced urbanization by Europeans distracted their life pattern, a fact for the deterioration of health figures comparison now and denying European invasion.   The historical policies set out by the settlers to marginalized the Australian Indigenous people and push them out of their land. This is in contrast to the white population, whose status has been increasing (Franklin and White, 1991)   The British government sought to give the Aboriginal people the full status and legal rights of British subjects. However, the policies were generally abandoned when they impended the desires of European settlers, for example, in the acquisition of more land. As explained by Franklin and white (1991), there reasons can be explained for the subsequent decline in the health of Aboriginal people. One concerned the introduction of new diseases by the new European immigrants, the second involved the forceful removal from their ancestral land and the third was the substitution of a health lifestyle with an urban poor diet.     A final factor, though contributing to a minor extent the Indigenous Australian health risk and survival, is physical confrontation, murder and rape. These have all coupled to cause physical and psychological illness, and spiritual despair. But despite all these health challenges afflicting aboriginal people and their survival, and treat of extinction. The Australian government can do a lot to assist them overcome these challenges.   REFERENCE Ian P.S. Anderson and Kim Humphrey (2007) Editorial: Aboriginal Health and History. Canberra: Australia and New Zealand Society for the History of Medicine.    Lisa R. Jackson and Jeanette. E. Ward (1999) Aboriginal Health: why is Reconciliation Necessary? Medical Journal of Australia.  National Health and Medical Research Council (2000) Nutrition in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: An information paper. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council. Read More