Healthcare Issues in Australia: Challenges Faced by Aboriginal Population

Running head: HEALTHCARE ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA
HEALTHCARE ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

HEALTHCARE ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA1
Introduction
The aborigines are a group of Indigenous Australians comprising 3.3% of the total
Australian population. Majority of the Aborigines lives in New South Wales adopting
Christianity as their major religion (73%) alongside 24% non-religious and the rest belonging
to certain traditional aboriginal religions. Psychographic traits of aborigines regarding
modernized healthcare are not in their favour as they hold mostly neutral to negative beliefs
about them 1, 3.
Issues regarding delivery of health services
When it comes to delivering healthcare services to the aboriginal population, the
primary barrier is that of culture, social politics and economy. A few recent studies have
highlighted that despite significant efforts on the part of the Australian Government to
provide fair and equal healthcare to the aborigines, who are predominantly considered
economically, socio politically and culturally disadvantaged, the challenging issue remains
unsolved 1. The research provides evidence of existing inequality in the access to health
services of members in the group 2. It also shows that the major hurdle in providing decent
health services stem from their differences in faith and beliefs regarding modern medicine
and mainstream health facilities, since most of these people are rural residents 2. Apart from
these, another crucial factor that hampers delivery of healthcare services is that of language,
the difference of which entails ineffective communication and results in drastic failure of the
policies regarding delivery of healthcare services to the Indigenous Australian people 2.
1. Sarah Larkins et al, "Responses Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Primary Health-Care Services To
Continuous Quality Improvement Initiatives" (2016) 3 Frontiers in Public Health.
2. Jie-Li Li, "Cultural Barriers Lead To Inequitable Healthcare Access For Aboriginal Australians And Torres Strait
Islanders" (2017) 4(4) Chinese Nursing Research.
3. Linda M. Mobula et al, "Cultural Competence And Perceptions Of Community Health Workers’ Effectiveness For
Reducing Health Care Disparities" (2014) 6(1) Journal of Primary Care & Community Health.