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Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare among Refugees
From a health and healthcare perspective, there is no doubt that asylum seekers are
among the most vulnerable groups in Australia (Silove, Ventevogel, & Rees, 2017). As an
overall proposition, it can be reasoned that refugees are per se risk since they are outside their
native country. Their susceptibility originates from the trauma, violence, and discrimination they
have experienced and the fact that their very own state cannot offer any form of protection to
them. Silove, Ventevogel, and Rees (2017), however, argue that vulnerability should not be
based merely on one’s belonging to a certain group that is considered underprivileged, but rather
as an individual. While this paper is not insinuating that the latter perspective is indecorous, it’s
worth noting that there exists a certain degree of vulnerability to any refugee irrespective of his
or her previous or current socioeconomic status and emphasis should, therefore, be based on
support rather than identification. For purposes of this essay, the author adopts the position that
all refugees in Australia are vulnerable due to the fact that they are outside the protection of their
native land. The author will rely on a number of factors such as social determinants of health,
health inequalities, health inequities and health outcomes to reinforce this standpoint.
Taylor and Haintz (2018) assert that a surfeit of factors hinder refuges in Australia from
fully utilizing the Australian healthcare system. In their research, the duo examined several
SDHs on refugees’ access to Australian healthcare services. Social norms and attitudes such as
discrimination, racism, and distrust of government ranked top among the social determinants of
refugee health in Australia. Research shows that perceived discrimination and distrust of the
government have been identified to bear huge detrimental effect on the mental health of African
refugees currently in Australia. With increasing incidences of terrorist attacks in recent years, the
fundamental rights of asylum seekers and refugees have been violated in Australia’s interest to
fight terrorism (Taylor & Haintz, 2018). This has led to increased discrimination and racism

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare among Refugees.

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