Improvements in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthcare in Australia

Running head: HEALTH
HEALTH
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Scenario 1
1. There has been a progressive change in the healthcare system of Australia with evidences
that reflect that there have been government investments especially in the field of primary
care. This has made changes in the life expectancy in the Aboriginal people along with
the Torres Strait Islander populations. Improvements have been brought about in the
ambulatory care that is sensitive to the process of hospitalization. There have been
successful campaigning by the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector and other
such organizations demanding the responsibility to fund the Aboriginal primary health
care. This was transferred from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission to the
Commonwealth Health Department in the year of 1995, which made way for the increase
in the funds contributed towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care
(Gubhaju et al., 2013). This also took steps to include new programs like the Primary
Health Care Access Program. The data received showed that the funds for the Aboriginal
community that was controlled by the health services increased from $233 per Indigenous
person in 1998-99 to $426 per person in 2004-05 (Jongen et al., 2014).
2. Most of the Indigenous Australians tend to experience poorer health conditions as
compared to the Australians who are non-indigenous (Duckett & Willcox, 2015). Apart
from obesity, some of the common health issues they face include heart diseases along
with respiratory problems, kidney diseases and more importantly mental health issues.
This population of people belonging to the aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait
Islanders are considered being socially, economically, culturally and politically
challenged or disadvantaged (Thomas, Bainbridge & Tsey, 2014). Therefore factors like

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the cultural barriers and social determinants should be addressed in order to provide
health equity to them. Some of the social determinants that impacts their health involves
the socio-economic status, chronic stress and historical treatment especially in terms of
racism.
3. The Commonwealth government along with the Queensland Government and other
Australian States and Territories, in the year of 2003 projected a policy framework that
was a National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
(Thomas, Bainbridge & Tsey, 2014). This policy was committed to provision of
community control in terms of primary health care services. In the year 2010, the
Queensland Government took steps to make tracks towards “closing the gap in health
outcomes for Indigenous Queenslanders by 2033” through the Policy and Accountability
Framework (Gubhaju et al., 2013).
4. In the aboriginal communities with populations which are greater than 5000, the health
service model includes discrete services from local services and diagnostic services. For
small or defined population, the model involves integrated services and comprehensive
primary care services (Sherwood, 2013). Finally for small rural or remote areas, it
includes outreach or telemedicine services.
Scenario 2
1. The health of the immigrants like Vinh is majorly impacted due to the adoption of the
different eating habits or physical activities including smoking and alcohol consumption,
especially in the long run (Tsai & Lee, 2016). The stress of migration along with the
stress of adjustment to a new culture and problems of discrimination play a role in the
impact of the deteriorating health of the immigrants. Several studies have identified these

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as barriers to the effective use of the health services. Chronic diseases are the major
causes of the mortality and morbidity of the immigrant population apart from the mental
health problems arising due to the cultural barriers (Kennedy et al., 2015).
2. A private health insurance plan is provided to the migrants who hold a 457 asylum visa.
Vinh has been living in Australia for the past two years therefore he will be entitled to
this healthcare plan. He is also entitled to the public healthcare service that is provided
under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreements framework (Minas et al., 2013). Under this
policy, immigrants from various countries receive opportunities of essential medical
treatment and some subsidized medicines and health services in Australia. Another such
policy that is being used by the Australian government is the Significant Cost Threshold
(Claxton et al., 2015). Utilization of this has increased significantly in the recent years.
The immigrants learn about this healthcare policies through the humanitarian programs.
Inquiries can be carried out through the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity
Commission (HREOC) (Green, 2016).
3. Several studies have suggested that in the 17th century, many Vietnamese and Chinese
healthcare practitioners had started identifying their colonial medicine as the Dong Y
(Nguyen et al., 2016). Their aim was to distinguish their traditional medicine with that of
the western medicines. Vinh belonging to the Vietnamese origin can therefore use the
traditional Vietnamese Medicine (TVM) for his general healthcare and wellbeing. This
TVM is different from that of the western medicines in terms that it puts emphasis on the
nourishment of the vital energy and blood (Loue, 2013). Unlike western medicine is does
not focus only on the specific symptoms. Another traditional method can be use of