The health care system in Australia

Running head: NURSING
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Introduction
The National Primary Health Care Strategic Framework (NPHCSF) is the first
national statement by the Standing Council on Health. It endorses an agreed approach for
developing robust primary health care system in Australia. Research suggests that primary
health care is more efficient in lowering the rate of hospitalisation and reducing health
inequalities (Sanding Council on Health 2013). The following essay will focus on the
strategic outcome two of NPSHCF and its expected outcomes. The outcomes or proposed
goals of NPSHCF will be linked with the management of Type 2 diabetes and reducing the
health inequalities in healthcare access.
Evaluation of the Australian PHC Strategic Framework
The strategic outcome 2 of NPHCSF (2013) deals with increasing the overall access
of primary healthcare by the application of the integrated service system and thereby helping
to reduce health inequity. This strategic outcome is extremely relevant to Type 2 Diabetes
Mellitus which is a national health issue in Australia. During 2015, 16, 400 cases of death in
Australia occurred due to diabetes and nearly 55% of these deaths was due to T2DM. There
were 1 million hospitalizations due to diabetes with majority of the cases being reported from
the remote and very remote areas (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018). Higher
rate of mortality and morbidity in the remote and very remote areas indicate that there is
prevalence of health inequality and thus strategy 2 promotes increase in the primary care
access in remote or very remote areas under the presence of multidisciplinary teams and
proper funding (Sanding Council on Health. 2013). The study conducted by Somerville et al.
(2017) highlighted that due to lack of proper funding in the remote areas, of Australia the
health inequality in diabetes management is higher. Channelization of proper funds will help
to implement advanced-technological based primary healthcare like tele-health, e-health and

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thereby helping to improve the health outcome. The strategic outcome two focuses on
channelization of fund along with increase in implementation of Personally Controlled
Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) throughout Australia (Sanding Council on Health. 2013).
Two Determinants of Health
The social factors that promote the development of T2DM include lack of
employment or financial crisis leading to the development of stress and substance abuse that
ultimate increase the vulnerability of diabetes. Depression due to social isolation increase
sedentary behaviour and obesity that leads to T2DM development (Hermanns, Bremmer &
Snoek, 2018). Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders are four times more likely to develop
T2DM in comparison to the non-indigenous population of Australia (Diabetes Australia
2019) The statistics also showed that the Aboriginals who have high blood pressure are 9%
more likely to develop T2DM in comparison to the non-indigenous population with
hypertension (Burrow & Ride, 2016). This increased prevalence of diabetes among
indigenous population shows inequity in the prognosis of T2DM and thus require proper
primary healthcare intervention. During 2014 to 15, the prevalence of diabetes among the
adult men were higher than women. This increased probability of T2DM in men is higher
than women till 75 years of old. Mainly the adults in the remote areas are more vulnerable in
T2DM. People from poor socio-economic status also have higher probability of developing
T2DM.