Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people of Australia
#BlackLivesmatter
There are two distinct groups in Australia Indigenous and non-indigenous group. Indigenous group is also known as the First Nations. Indigenous Australians consists of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There exists an enormous difference between both the communities. The Government of Australia in 2008 decided to address the gap by closing the gap between both the groups. The gap refers to the vast health concern and life-saving inequality between both the groups some major health concerns which are never addressed and the first nation Is still deprived of these rights in health sector include lower age rate, increased rate of toddlers’ death, weakened health and less awareness about health, decreased level of education about health and cleanliness. In This essay I will focus and highlight the health concerns and issues faced by Indigenous people of Australia. This essay will also highlight the concept that how human rights institutes are helping indigenous people in attaining their social rights among those rights’ health is the basic concern.
To begin with understanding about health concerns of indigenous people I have conducted an interview with the member of “Close the Gap” Society it is a community made up by Australian Human Rights Commission (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice, 2022). Its main objective is to vanish the difference between that exist between indigenous and non-indigenous societies. As it can be understood from the phrase that “close the gap” It means to develop a long-tern comprehensive action plan that serves as a long-term base in order to achieve health equality and increase life-expectancy between non-indigenous and indigenous of Australia by 2030. (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice, 2022).
A “moral exclusion and inclusion framework” (Opotow, Gerson, Woodside, 2005). Moral exclusion means justice given only for sometime or it is hidden under social problems. Inclusion means importance on equality, equal distribution of resources, and equal rights concern for the well-being of the society. This will provide a basic understanding that how health issues and basic medical concerns of indigenous people are ignored. The health status of the aboriginal and Islander people is weak in term of non-indigenous people According to a statistic survey there exist a large gap between first Australian and second Australians people.
There should be a long-term solution to this problem. Ignoring the troubles faced by the indigenous people in the health sector gave rise to other several infections such as increased rate of kidney failures, several touch diseases, tuberculosis, Hepatitis C, respiratory diseases and poor mental health illness. (Mount Lawley, 2019). The scope of justice concept will help us explain that how indigenous people have been excluded from the other Australians. The research according to this framework will include only qualitative questions which will be one on one face to face interview. Our aim is to build a safe place for this society and help them aware about health safety how to care about their well-being and to gain health benefits for them for long-term.
The essay will consist of four main general ideas for which moral and inclusion framework will be used as basis to explain and analyze the factors that why indigenous people have greater health issues and why they have shorter life-expectancy as compared to the non-indigenous people.
Secondly. I will discuss about increased mortality rate of newborns. During pregnancies women are not provided with proper healthcare facilities due to which the fetal couldn’t survive and eventually dies. Lack of Proper medical care and health incentives are not provided so that’s why the infant mortality rate is high. Their life expectancy is difficult to quantify accurately. Infant mortality (0–4) was thrice high as compared to non-indigenous people.
The next part of the research is to analyze poorer health issues and less awareness regarding health concerns. According to a survey conducted by AIHW in 2011 61% of the indigenous people died in stroke caused increased blood compression In Northern territory Indigenous people faces more respiratory disease lower respiratory tract infection is common in children as compared to non-indigenous people. (Richard X Davey, 2022)
The final element of the essay will discuss about less knowledge and awareness, maybe due to less awareness and knowledge the indigenous people face such type of health conflicts and trouble. Some diseases and infections which are very common in them include respiratory diseases, abdomen infection, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, hepatitis C, cancer, substance abuse, oral diseases and renal failures. Indigenous people get contracted to type 2 diabetes occurs between 25 & 30% (Day l, 2012). This type 2 diabetes in turn has caused severe kidney diseases among the first nations people the most common reason for indigenous people in getting admitted to hospital was for dialysis treatment (Hospitalization, “Australian Indigenous healthinfonet, 2013)
The methodology of this essay is based on external research conducted around health and safety concerns of indigenous people and secondly in the content analysis of member of “close that gap” community. It was a nurse from Australian college of nursing. Consent was taken from the participant ensuring the privacy of interviewee. The burse belonged to the Australian college of nursing she had a vast experience the nurse told us that there is a special place where only indigenous people are treated and they have special nurses to take care.
The questions constructed for the interviewee had a goal for attempting the challenges faced by indigenous in the health domain. The interviewee involved much more in the conversation touching crowd of different paths involving professional experiences as well as the personal experiences. While the interviewee was not sticked toward the structured interview, they also explained several other compelling reasons and they have also met us with some indigenous respondents who also participated in the entire discussion and gave their viewpoint
Both moral exclusion and scope of justice has been included to this essay this concept helps us to understand how varying communities which represents a spectrum of understand and lifestyle are position either within a scope of justice framework or alternatively excluded from moral validity in our society the impact of such exclusion is detrimental as it results in both narrow and wide reaction towards minorities this manifestation can lead towards bullying (Metta, 2017).
In central Australia, the indigenous people are commonly diagnosed with human T-lymphotropic virus-1 which is thrice higher than non-indigenous from this we can take an idea that how ignored this community is (Allam, 2018). Smoking is injurious to health despite know every 1 in 2 indigenous person dies of smoking some says that this also the reason of increased death rate among indigenous but if they don’t have awareness and knowledge than how can they quit smoking (Calma, 2011). Fetal alcohol syndrome is another issue but it is rare in indigenous women than non-indigenous (kava, 2019)
Another factor which heavily contributes is poor diet management. Indigenous people are usually malnutrition. malnutrition is also a reason due to which indigenous people die early as they are not given good quality of food and they are deprived of clean water. Less clean water give rise to diseases like hepatitis C.
A2013 survey states that indigenous people are high on beverages which are less health whereas they are more exposed to sweet foods as a result they get diabetes. They consume cheaper lower quality of foods which is low in carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. Their milk consumption is also very low and they consume very less water due to which they get renal diseases. (Brimblecombe, Julie; Ferguson, Megan,2013).
Due to lack of cross-cultural miscommunication also there was a major health differences in indigenous and non-indigenous people. They don’t know how to communicate with health professionals this was also the reason due to which they were not looked after Australian (Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011).
According to a study in 2007 concluded that indigenous people are always high on stress they have twice high levels of depression and stress than non-indigenous Australians. Stress was common in women because of intimate partner violence some of the common problems was due to lack of education and awareness. (Hunter, 2014). Due to increase in stress, depression and anxiety suicide was also common in indigenous people of Australia.
It is also said that the Ngan Kari are the traditional healers of the indigenous people. Indigenous people get themselves treated only from Ngan Kari healers they don’t get treated from another therefor Australian commission for human rights have asked these healers to associate themselves with some hospitals and healthcare’s of Australia so that indigenous people also get a chance to be treated. (Grieves, 2018)
CONCLUSION:
A wide range of topics have been covered in this essay. It aims to show the links between poor health outcomes, low socioeconomic position, and poverty. It proves that Indigenous peoples’ social determinants of health account for more than just their relative disadvantage. Additionally, it shows that their unique cultural traits and human rights are not acknowledged or respected.
Indigenous peoples all over the world have made a point of highlighting the significance of a human rights-based strategy for resolving their disadvantage and guaranteeing the survival of their cultures.
Social determinants will not be addressed successfully if the underlying links between health status and the exercise of human rights are not taken into account.
Some recommendations if we can give is that some special health care units shall be designed to fulfill the health needs of indigenous people and we should also help them by giving them awareness seminars and helping them to educate them about cleanliness.
In addition to this indigenous people also needs to improve there we can also conclude with a fact that indigenous people are high in smoking also. As smoking causes so cancer Is also common in, they are also drug addicts that’s why substance abuse is common in them
The “close the gap” campaign is a good startup it should work and help effectively to work for the cause of indigenous people
