Two Principal Questions in Regard to Public Health in Australia - Case Study Example

Population Health Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission Contents Contents 2 An overview of public health in Australia 3 Question 1: Describe where you think the focus of public health will be in 10 years and explain how you came to your conclusion.  4 Protective vs. curative public health 4 Elevated habits-related diseases 5 Increased figures of the aged population 6 Maternal, children and adolescents health 7 Question 2: Why is there more policy action on some public health issues than others? 8 Disease outbreak 9 Current population structure 10 Public opinion and political ideologies 11 Conclusion 11 References 12 An overview of public health in Australia Public health can basically be defined as the organized effort of society to keep people healthy and prevent injuries, illness and premature death (Lin, Watson & Oldenburg, 2009).In the contemporary period, public health in Australia is being confronted by immense challenges which range from inequitable access to public health by the country’s population, inefficiencies in service delivery, poor quality of the services offered and lack of acceptability of the overall healthcare system by the Australian population. These challenges pose a major setback to the advancement of public health in the country for a few years to come. Nonetheless, diverse reforms that have been formulated to address these impediments and are in the process of implementation through the involvement of diverse stakeholders are bound to bring some fundamental changes in the processes of service delivery and increase the quality of the services delivered to the entire Australian public regardless of socio-economic backgrounds. However, increased dynamics in the public health calls for a fresh focus into the strategic approach to the address glaring future challenges. This paper will analyze two principle questions in regard to public health in Australia as outlined below. Question 1: Describe where you think the focus of public health will be in 10 years and explain how you came to your conclusion. Question 2: Why is there more policy action on some public health issues than others? Question 1: Describe where you think the focus of public health will be in 10 years and explain how you came to your conclusion.  There are some key factors which will be instrumental in informing the major focus among the stakeholders in the Australian public health sector. Some of them are explored in the subsequent analysis. Protective vs. curative public health According to RACGP National Standing Committee (2006) the concept of prevention is founded on the presumption that it is better to avoid a disease or disability than treating the disease or the disability at a later time. This is best epitomized by the fact that it is more effective to offer advice on healthy and weight diet than trying to manage noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Similarly, immunization of a child against hepatitis is endowed with more effectiveness than managing the impact of the disease at a later stage in life. Nonetheless, this practice has for long been ignored by public health stakeholders and practitioners which has culminated in many people being booked into hospitals for diseases which would have otherwise been prevented in the first place. This fact is supported by Duckett (2008) who determined that majority of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders are often booked into hospitals for diseases which would otherwise have been prevented or their incidences minimized through effective and efficient primary care. This leads to unnecessary overstraining of the public health facilities in the country. However, this trend is gradually coming to a halt with an increased cognition by the policy makers about the imperative role played by preventive public health. This paradigm shift will be instrumental in shaping the policy making process in future which will characterized by elevated budgetary allocation to preventive public health as opposed to the curative approach. This projection is supported by Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (2003) who determined that well targeted investment in early intercession and promotion of health is a verified method of minimizing the long-term burden emanating from diseases and demand pressures on the health system. A report by the Australian Government, ‘Returns on Investment in Public health’ delineated the economic merits and health effects of a range of early intercession strategies and health promotion. Elevated habits-related diseases This aspect is closely linked to preventive public health. Habits in this sense are widespread ranging from nutrition to substance abuse. Despite the fact that the rate of substance abuse has reduced in the recent years, the prevalence of nutrition related diseases has been on the upsurge in the recent decades. According to the Western Australia Department of Health (2004), heart diseases, diabetes and falls are the largest causes of hospitalization in Western Australia. This is exemplified by the fact that in 2002, there were 11,800 admissions for heart diseases, 12, 000 for falls and 5,300 for diabetes. Against this background, efforts towards the prevention of chronic diseases for instance cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and cancers are bound to be more profound in the next decade due to the their elevated prevalence in the future. Mathers, Vos and Stevenson (1999) cited that in the current situation of Australian public health, the above stated among other chronic diseases are accountable for around 70% of the overall illness burden and injuries that are experienced by the Australian population. Moreover, cancer, cardiovascular disease and injury are responsible for around 70% of the deaths in the country. On the other hand, based on the fact that majority of the chronic diseases share common risk factors which includes but not limited to smoking, inadequate physical activity, obesity and inappropriate nutrition, there is bound to be increased focus on the minimization of these risk factor in the Australian public health 10 years down the line. Consequently, the increasing prevalence of habit-related diseases will prompt a major paradigm shift in Australian public health in the next 10 years, not only in the efforts aimed at preventing them but also the instigation of widespread campaigns to sensitize the general population about the risks associated with certain habits. Increased figures of the aged population Australia is currently being confronted by the challenge of reduced birth and death rates which is gradually influencing the number of aged people in the population. This phenomenon is bound to increase the burden of the country’s health system in managing diverse chronic diseases which are mostly associated with aged people. In addition, it is apparent that older people use public health services at a higher rate than the younger people. According to the Western Australia Department of Health (2004), the proportion of population aged 65 years and above was projected to grow from 11.2% in 2001 to 13.9% by 2016. This trend is projected to continue in the next decade which will be chief in necessitating the formulation and execution of policies in public health aimed at addressing the health of the aged members of the Australian population in the coming 10 years. Maternal, children and adolescents health Despite the fact that Australia is experiencing lower infant mortality when compared to other regions in the world, recent surveys have pointed to the fact that there are some areas of concern in regard to children health. Daly and Roberts (2002) cited that around 20% of the children in Australia are obese or overweight. As mentioned in the preceding discourse, obesity is a chief contributor to major diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and some cancers, there is a high probability of massive efforts in Australian public health being directed towards addressing children health in the next 10 years. On the other hand, mental health among the adolescents and children in Australia has captured the attention of public health. This is based on the evidence which reveals that 17% of the children in Western Australia suffer from problems related to mental health (Western Australia Department of Health, 2004). This phenomenon is replicable in other Australian regions. Against this background, there is bound to be a major focus on mental health in the Australian public health sector. Lastly, the need for improved maternal health is gaining prominence in the Australia public health sector. Recent years have seen the tremendous increase of premature births which place a significant urgent and long-term pressure on the health system in the country. This is founded on the fact that babies who are born pre-term require expensive intensive care when they are born and more so are many cases are endowed with long-term health problems. This fact is supported by Western Australia Department of Health (2004) which determined that 15-20% of the children who survive pre-mature births have major disabilities like auditory, visual and/or intellectual impairment, cerebral palsy and approximately half of the remaining portrays substantial learning difficulties. In this regard there is expected to be increased investment in promoting maternal health through improved prenatal services, for instance lifestyle education which will be key in minimizing the risk of premature birth. All the above areas among others in the Australian contemporary health situation are expected to receive much focus from the stakeholders in public health in the next 10 years. This is based on both the elevated prevalence of these conditions in the recent years and also the increasing dynamics in the population structure, for instance heightening figures of the aged members of the Australian population. Question 2: Why is there more policy action on some public health issues than others? The rationale behind higher policy action in some public health issues than others is debatable both in the public domain, among health practitioners and also among the policy. However, there are some apparent reasons that are likely to prompt increased policy action in some public health issues when juxtaposed with others. Nonetheless, this does not insinuate that the issues receiving less attention are insignificant but rather this is based on prioritization. Some of the reasons that can instigate more policy action in some public health issues than others are analyzed below. Disease outbreak In the Australian case, some natural disasters which continue to confront the country pose significant impacts in the health sector by prompting the outbreak of certain diseases. Australia is often a victim of major cyclones (also referred to as typhoons and hurricanes) and tsunamis which represent the most robust and devastating jeopardies in all marine hazards (Keim, 2006).This is best epitomized by Smith (2005) who determined that the aftermath of these natural disasters is usually characterized by the outbreak of infectious diseases which add a heavy toll on the disaster itself and in some instances doubling the number of casualties. In this regard, the displaced people in camps are often confronted with higher risk of infectious diseases which can be attributed to a vast array of risk factors which act synergistically, for instance, poor sanitation, interruption of vector control measures, low immunization coverage rates, overcrowding, insufficient safe water and food supply, poor personal hygiene among other risk factors. The above health situation is most likely to more prevalent in some populations than others based on some facts like economic backgrounds, place of origin (moving from areas of low endemicity to hyperrendemic areas) and also the cultural background of the affected population. In this regard, there is bound to be more policy action to address either the prospective disease outbreak in case of a natural disaster or in curing an outbreak which has already occurred and causing casualties. In the prior case, more policy action is likely to be directed towards immunization and public sensitization on avoiding risk factors while on the latter phenomenon, the supply of curative drugs, provision of adequate workforce and supply of other medical facilities is likely to be given more prominence in the policy action. Therefore, the advent of disease outbreaks in the aftermath of natural disasters is expected to trigger more policy action on some public health issues than others not only in Australia but also in other parts of the world. Current population structure Dynamics in the population structure are likely to influence the magnitude of policy action in some public health issues than other, with the situation in Australia evidencing this fact. The country, just like other countries in Europe is experiencing an ageing of its population, a trend which is anticipated to continue at least the middle of the 21st century. Rechel, Doyle, Grundy and Mckee (2009) noted that with the elevated number of chronic conditions and co-morbidities, the elderly members of the population are often being attended to by a several different providers of both healthcare and social services. This situation is likely to influence increased policy action towards addressing the health challenges prompted by the increasing number of elderly people in the population and their overall impacts on the public health system. This fact is supported by Rechel, Doyle, Grundy and Mckee (2009) who determined that appropriate policy decisions today will be key in ensuring that the elderly people in tomorrow’s world will enjoy a better health status, are maintained by an integrated and balanced provision of health care and have minimized need of health and long-term care services. In this regard, the projected population structure in the future is likely to prompt more policy action in the current times in order to ensure sustainability of the public health system in the long-term despite these dynamics. Public opinion and political ideologies Both of the above factors play an integral role in influencing the direction of public health policies in any country. Firstly, political ideologies are bound to determine the policies that will be formulated and implemented in the public health realms. In the Australian case, the philosophical orientation of the political party forming the federal government, either the conservatives or the labor party, is likely to influence the prominence of some public health policies than others, for instance, philosophies in regard to equality in accessing public health services, role of the government or the private sector in the provision of public health among other tenets. In this regard, the political reality in the country is liable to determine the weight that will be put one some public health policies over others. On the other hand, public opinion also plays a vital role in influencing the prominence of some policies over others, for instance, the widespread outcry among members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders that the public health delivery systems are being culture insensitive is likely to influence policy action that will ensure that they peculiar needs are catered for in the domains of public health delivery system. These factors among other prompt more policy action on some public health issues than others, not only in Australia but also in other global nations. Conclusion In regard to question one, it is evident that some of the dynamics and realities in the Australian health sector are bound to influence the primary focus of public health in the country ten years from now. These include the increased prevalence of habit-related maladies, the inclination towards protective health as opposed to curative health, alarming figures of the ageing population as well as recent increased necessity for improved maternal, adolescents and children health. In relation to the second question, there exist some factors that can trigger more policy action on some public health issues than others. This includes but not limited to outbreak of diseases, public opinion and political ideologies as well as projected future dynamics in the population structure. References Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (2003). Returns on Investment in Public Health. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. Daly, A. & Roberts, L. (2002). Child Health Survey: An Overview. Perth: Department of Health. Duckett, S.J. (2008). The Australian health care system: reform, repair or replace?. Australian Health Review, 32(2), 322-339. Keim, M.E. (2006). Cyclones, Tsunamis and Human Health: The Key Role of Preparedness. Quarterly Journal of the Oceanography society, 19(2), 40-49. Lin, Watson & Oldenburg, (2009). The future of public health: the importance of workforce. Australia and New Zealand Health Policy, 6(4). Mathers, C., Vos, T, & Stevenson, C. (1999). The Burden of Disease and Injury in Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. RACGP National Standing Committee (2006). The role of general practice inprevention and health promotion. South Melbourne: The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Rechel, B., Doyle, Y., Grundy E. & Mckee, M. (2009). How Can Health Systems Respond to Population Ageing?. Geneva: World Health Organization. Smith, A.W. (2005). Tsunami in South Asia: What is the Risk of Post-Disaster Infectious Disease Outbreak? Annals Academy of Medicine, 34(10), 625-631. Western Australia Department of Health (2004). A Healthy Future for Western Australians: Report of the Health Reform Committee. Perth: Western Australia Department of Health Read More