Essay on Newspaper Article Analysis

Part 1

Indigenous Australian is a terminology used in describing both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals. Furthermore, the language used is disrespectful and exclusive as the indigenous and non-indigenous have been separated in terms of their origins. Several Aboriginal Australians despise the phrase, which was historically used primarily to refer to animals and plants. Traditionally, the term ‘indigenous’ was applied to animals and plants, but later, it was given to the Aboriginal people (Fogarty et al., 20180). The exclusive language used outlays disparity among Indigenous individuals, and the rest of the people in the country continues to escalate rather than decrease (Markwick et al., 2019). Besides, many of the Aboriginals experience challenges relating to their health, leading to adverse consequences. For instance, harmful habits like smoking, believed to contribute to diseases such as heart attack, are addressed explicitly to the indigenous population, which place them as down-trodden people (Siegel et al., 2019). An example indicated is that the life expectancy of a child from the same group is lower than those of non-indigenous. Attempts to improve the health of this group have posed a challenge for the Australian government. Another issue is the absence of a federal plan to address residential and health infrastructure and socio-demographic variables of coordinating care, which is inadequate resources until lately. Similarly, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities experience disease prevalence, twice that of non-Indigenous individuals. Unfortunately, the general progress of improving the health condition in some parts of the country has been slow and inconsistent, even with improvements. A gradual, aggressive strategy will not eliminate the substantial health disparities witnessed among the two groups; the indigenous and non-indigenous persons. The National Strategic Framework can ensure that indigenous populations live healthy lives comparable to those of the general public, enhanced by vibrant living culture, integrity, and equality. Additionally, the Framework focuses on promoting emotional and social health, psychological health, and the prevention of difficulties. Thus, the changes in clinical outcomes should be closely monitored, with the primary purpose of eliminating the occurrence, prevalence, and implications of these diseases. Obligations to a course of action, accompanied by substantial financial increases over some time, are required if genuine and lasting change is to occur.

Part 2

Australian governments have historically struggled to make the health of Indigenous groups better. The health void among the indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians continues to soar up. Australian and United Nations organizations have both classified it as a human rights issue that requires attention. The social determinants hypothesis acknowledges several related socioeconomic variables as influencing healthcare quality and inequity. Another critical human rights premise is that infringing on one’s rights impacts the realization of other rights. That’s why it’s essential to look at Indigenous peoples’ health concerning government policies and initiatives through the lens of human rights discourse.

A lack of equitable healthcare access and a reduced health infrastructure level in Indigenous communities than in the rest of Australia aggravate Indigenous Australia’s health inequalities. Indigenous communities in Australia have access to nutrient-rich food, housing, and sanitation. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer from poor health. There are significant differences between the sexes, particularly in the prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases, child health, psychological health, and life aspirations. These individuals have serious health issues that are often misunderstood and consequently untreated. That’s particularly true when it comes to mental health. These problems are not adequately addressed in health frameworks and must be addressed. (Avery, 2018).

Indigenous Australians are more likely to have chronic and psychiatric conditions including respiratory sickness, heart disease, diabetes than non-Indigenous Australians (Taylor & Guerin, 2019). Data from the research reveals that the life expectancy has been reduced by approximately eleven years among the indigenous population compared to their counterparts. The sole reason is that the non-indigenous population had resorted to reducing the rate of smoking (Altman et al., 2018). Generally, smoking has several health effects on the cardiovascular system where it damages it by restricting the flow of the blood causing heart disease. The high rate of substance abuse among indigenous Australians is the reason behind reduced life expectancy compared to non-Indigenous Australians. There are risks exposed to the respiratory system as inhaling the nicotine affects the lungs that extend to destruction of air sacs in the lungs, inflammation of the lungs lining, and even cause lung cancer. Nicotine is one of the components of tobacco. The nation’s top goal is to advance the healthcare of the indigenous origins. Reduction of the disparity is an initiative in the Australian government to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It seeks to reduce the shortcoming gap faced by Indigenous people in health, housing, education, and employment (Caffery et al., 2017).

Closing the Gap in health has concentrated on improving access for individuals with chronic diseases to Medicare and medicines, further free vaccinations, supportive services for Aboriginal peoples of the Torres Strait of the Island, and the smoking campaign. According to an assessment, the program Tackling Indigenous Smoking assists in reducing cigarette smoking by the indigenous. Assessing this issue has emphasized the efficacy of community-based initiatives in terms of tobacco use reduction. The Australian government has developed many initiatives designed to enhance access to healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that are essential to increased life and health and reduced infant mortality. (Skerrett et al., 2018). The Indigenous Australians’ Health Program focuses on primary health care, child and maternal health, chronic illness management, and other focused health initiatives.

References

Altman, J., Hunter, B., & Biddle, N. (2018). How realistic are the prospects for closing the gaps in socioeconomic outcomes for Indigenous Australians?. Canberra, ACT: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), The Australian National University.

Avery, S. (2018). Culture is inclusion: A narrative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.

Caffery, L. J., Bradford, N. K., Wickramasinghe, S. I., Hayman, N., & Smith, A. C. (2017). Outcomes of using telehealth for healthcare provision to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: a systematic review. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 41(1), 48-53.

Fogarty, W., Bulloch, H., McDonnell, S., & Davis, M. (2018). Deficit discourse and Indigenous health: How the policy’s narrative framings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are reproduced. Deficit Discourse and Indigenous Health: How Narrative Framings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Are Reproduced in Policy, xii.

Markwick, A., Ansari, Z., Clinch, D., & McNeil, J. (2019). Experiences of racism among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults living in the Australian state of Victoria: a cross-sectional population-based study. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-14.

Paradies, Y. (2016). Colonization, racism, and indigenous health. Journal of Population Research, 33(1), 83-96.

Siegel, J. K., Wroblewski, K. E., McClintock, M. K., & Pinto, J. M. (2019, September). Olfactory dysfunction persists after smoking cessation and signals increased cardiovascular risk. In International forum of allergy & rhinology (Vol. 9, No. 9, pp. 977-985).

Skerrett, D. M., Gibson, M., Darwin, L., Lewis, S., Rallah, R., & De Leo, D. (2018). Closing the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicide: A social-emotional wellbeing service innovation project. Australian Psychologist, 53(1), 13-22.

Smith, J. A., Crawford, G., & Signal, L. (2016). The case of national health promotion policy in Australia: where to now?. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 27(1), 61-65.

Taylor, K., & Guerin, P. (2019). Health care and Indigenous Australians: cultural safety in practice. Macmillan International Higher Education.