A Remote Area ( Isolation ) Can Impact On The Health Outcomes

Australia is one of the world’s most culturally diverse societies and it is commonly assumed that the country offers free and fair opportunities to all its inhabitants. However, on close observation it is clearly evident that the country’s indigenous population is at a social and economic disadvantage when compared to their non-indigenous counterparts and as a consequence the present aboriginal health is in a grave situation.

al., 2011). Health service accessibility by individuals in rural and remote areas is a problem central to both countries. Reports indicate that compared with metropolitan populations, non-metropolitan populations, in both Australia and the UK, experience poor access to health services (Watt, Franks, Sheldon, 1994, p. 16). As in the primary care sector of the UK, majority of the doctors in Australia are self-employed and reimbursed on a fee-for-service approach (Gillies, 2003, p. 77). GP’s are the initial point of contact for patients in both Australia and the UK. Additional specialist medical services such as physiotherapy and optometry are only available when patients are provided with a formal referral from their GPs (Piterman, Koritsas, 2005). Although the NHS is similar to the Australian health system in certain ways, both systems also possess some differences.

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 health status of Indigenous Australians is significantly lower than that of non-Indigenous Australians, this could be due to a large amount of Australia’s Indigenous population living in either remote rural areas and or in a low social economic areas. In rural remote areas individuals have poorer access to health services and support services, limited access to transport, lower employement options and fewer accomidation options. In addition, to this cultural and spiritual differences may also be a barrier for indigenous Australian’s accessing services within their community.

Families were torn apart when the Australian government decided to forcibly remove Indigenous Australian children from their families and placed into missions during 1890-1970.1 Forbidden to speak their language, practice their culture or be surrounded by their families led to a loss of identity, isolation and poorer mental health outcomes.1-4 The children were commonly used as labour and excluded from education leading to a decrease in literacy and health awareness and ultimately poverty.1 In combination with the change in diet, this resulted in a negative impact on overall health that is still reflected in the high rates of CVD, obesity, diabetes and kidney

The aboriginal population in Canada is growing, and it is known that 56% of Aboriginals live on an rural reserve or community (Government of Canada, 2014; NCCAH, 2011). It is important to note that those Aboriginals living on reserves and in communities have a significantly higher rate of health issues than those living in cities (NCCAH, 2011). This stems from the limited access to healthcare that Aboriginal rural areas receive (NCCAH, 2011). The lack of healthcare causes higher numbers in diseases, conditions, and disorders among the Aboriginal people of Canada (NCCAH, 2011).

This paper will examine the healthcare of Indigenous Australian peoples compared to non-indigenous Australians. The life expectancy gaps between the two are a cause for alarm when statistics show Indigenous Australian peoples die on average 17 years earlier than non-indigenous Australians (Dick 2017). This paper will examine the social determinants of health to explore these factors and what interventions are in place to improve health status and life expectancy gaps for equality. The Federal Government has seen the implementation of the Northern Territory Intervention and the Closing the Gap Initiative. This essay will examine these two strategies and discuss the effectiveness of both policies. It will explain the differences, similarities and look at the success so far to

Marmot, M. (2011). Social determinants and the health of Indigenous Australians. Med J Aust, 194(10),

There is a clear relationship between the social disadvantages experienced by Indigenous people and their current health status. These social disadvantages lead to a number of critical health issues. In Australia 2.5 per cent of the population is made up of Indigenous people. Within this population only 3% are 65 years of age or older, whereas 16.3% of the Australian population is over 65. (Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2012).

“The status of Indigenous health in contemporary Australia is a result of historic factors as well as contemporary socio-economic issues” (Hampton & Toombs, 2013, p. 1).

It is well established that Indigenous Australian’s have a lower state of health and wellbeing than non-Indigenous people (Paradies, Harries, and Anderson, 2008). Aboriginal people have a diverse culture with a rich and compelling history and the impact of colonisation, legislation and the stolen generation has created significant hardships for Indigenous Australians, putting them as the most disadvantaged group (Paradies, Harries, and Anderson, 2008). It is known that their life expectancy is seventeen years less than other Australians.

Although a lack of high-quality data limits an accurate assessment of the health disparities between indigenous and nonindigenous populations in many countries, the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians ' health status and care has been widely documented6. The causes of the health status inequalities are multi-factorial; with the major contributors related to social and environmental determinants of indigenous health7.

The health inequality between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and Non-Indigenous Australians is evident, (Empirical)

Living in a remote area has always been thought to have negative influences on the individual. There are 35 % of the total population in Australia living in rural area(Phillips, 2009).Rural areas in Australia and all over the world are not geographically isolated and disadvantaged only but also culturally and economically deprived which has great consequences on the health status of the population. The main two factors that have a major effect on rural health are socioeconomic status and cultural issues(Beard, Tomaska, Earnest, Summerhayes, & Morgan, 2009).

Aboriginal health standards are so low today that all most half aboriginal men and a third of the women die before they are 45. Aboriginal people can expect to live 20 years less than non-indigenous Australians. Aboriginals generally suffer from more health problem and are more likely to suffer from diabetes, liver disease and glaucoma. The causes of their poor health and low life expectancy are poverty, poor nutrition, poor housing, dispossession of their traditional land, low education level, high unemployment, drug and substance use, unsafe sex, limited health care and diseases.