Indigenous Health Perspectives: Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service

Running head: INDIGENOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
INDIGENOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1INDIGENOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
Executive Summary
Indigenous health is related to the physical, cultural, emotional and the social
wellbeing of the members belonging to the Aboriginal community and the Torres Strait
islander people. Most of these indigenous Australians are seen to experience poorer health
conditions in comparison to the non-indigenous. In order to provide better access of
healthcare services to this population, the government of Australia has taken initiatives in
order to design programs and health services that are significant in improving the health and
life expectancy in addition to reducing the rate of mortality. The Bawrunga Aboriginal
Medical Service (BAMS) successfully works towards the physical, cultural, emotional and
the social wellbeing of the members of the Aboriginal community and the Torres Strait
islander people. The indigenous people had an overall positive opinion regarding the
indigenous health care services.

2INDIGENOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
History........................................................................................................................................3
Vision and mission.....................................................................................................................4
Services and operations..............................................................................................................4
Members.....................................................................................................................................6
Contact and location...................................................................................................................6
Issues and challenges.................................................................................................................8
Impressions................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References................................................................................................................................10

3INDIGENOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
Introduction
Indigenous health is related to the physical, cultural, emotional and the social
wellbeing of the members of the Aboriginal community and the Torres Strait islander people.
Most of these indigenous Australians are seen to experience poorer health conditions in
comparison to the non-indigenous Australians therefore they tend to die at much younger
ages (Parker & Milroy, 2014). There is a tendency that these indigenous Australians suffer
from more chronic diseases. Often these conditions are unknown in the non-indigenous
population however the occurrences of the chronic diseases keep on increasing in case of the
indigenous population. In order to provide better access of healthcare services to this
population, the government of Australia has taken initiatives in order to design programs and
health services that are significant in improving the health and life expectancy in addition to
reducing the rate of mortality (Lawrence, Hancock& Kisely, 2013). This paper aims to
highlight such an organisation namely the Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service (BAMS),
which is involved in providing healthcare services to the indigenous people.
History
The Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service (BAMS), was developed as a non-profit
community organization, that was managed by the indigenous. This organization was
developed in the year 1999 in Bowraville, NSW (Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service –
Aboriginal Medical Service, 2018). This organization was developed in order to address the
needs of the indigenous in terms of provision of accessible health care and medical servives
that is both affordable and high in quality. These medical clinics are involved in offering
services to the local communities. This organization is one of the only autonomous