PUBH6000: Health Inequities Between Indigenous Australians Essay

This essay delves into the critical issue of health inequities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It begins by outlining the significant social, economic, and political forces that contribute to the health disadvantages experienced by Indigenous Australians, including factors such as housing, education, employment, and government policies. The essay then examines the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) model, highlighting its key features as a primary healthcare delivery system, emphasizing its community-driven approach and cultural sensitivity. It explores the potential role of ACCHSs in reducing health disparities, including initiatives to improve health outcomes, and addresses the barriers that may hinder their effectiveness. The essay concludes by summarizing the importance of ACCHSs and the ongoing need for equitable policies and resources to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians.

Health Inequities
between Indigenous and
non‐Indigenous
Australians

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................3
Part 1................................................................................................................................................3
Social, economic and political forces contributing to health disadvantages experienced by
Indigenous Australians...........................................................................................................3
Part 2................................................................................................................................................4
Key features of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) as a model of
PHC delivery..........................................................................................................................4
Role can ACCHSs play in reducing health inequities between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous
Australians..............................................................................................................................5
Barriers that might prevent ACCHSs in reducing health inequities between Indigenous and
non‐Indigenous Australians....................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

Introduction
Present essay is about health inequalities among non indigenous and indigenous Australians.
Over the years, health gap is continuously increasing among non-indigenous and indigenous
Australians and the reason that came in front were the different determinants like social,
political, economic and so on which pushed indigenous Australians towards different problems
(Jones and et. al., 2019). On the other hand, this essay will also deliver the information in
relation to the specific role played by aboriginal controlled community health services at the time
of addressing all the health disadvantages which are majorly being faced by indigenous
Australians.
Main Body
Part 1
Social, economic and political forces contributing to health disadvantages experienced by
Indigenous Australians
There are a range of significant factors which specifically contributes towards different
range of health disadvantages that are present for indigenous Australians and most of these are
linking to social political and economic forces. Some of the social factors are housing, education,
access to healthcare and family support, which carries major impact over health conditions of
indigenous Australians like due to low literacy, different habits like continuous intake of alcohol,
unfortunate eating, and absence of activity or detainment. It has been analysed to that,
continuous consumption of alcohol and drugs done by adults carries a major impact over
assumptions of children. This may directly increase the normality of risk taking behaviour for the
children and the same will be repeated by them when the reach to adult group. Healthy child
development (Ketheesan, and et. al., 2020).
On the other hand, there are some of the economic determinants as well, that majorly
contribute towards health disadvantages face by indigenous Australians and these are: education,
employment and income. It has been analysed that, inequities among both indigenous and non-
indigenous Australians are because of the discrimination or it can be said that an equal
distribution was being done in relation with status wealth and income, power and so on. this
could be understood with the good example of a woman who belongs to indigenous Australians
community where it is the ability of her to specifically reach to the top level and move down as

well and this totally dependent on the class system and these majorly being affected by socio
economic status and some of these are employment education along with income.
On the other hand, some of the political determinants that came in front that impacted
negatively and give in contribution towards health disadvantages for indigenous Australians and
some of these are: different policies made by government, code of conduct and so on. In present
context, the role of colonization of Australia and till today is to specifically take decisions on
developing different range of policies for Torres Strait Islander, Aboriginal and Indigenous
People (Paulino, Vázquez and Bolúmar, 2019). The role that was specifically played by
colonization was not that much effective because from then only, health gap started increasing
among Indigenous and non indigenous people. Basically, in equitable policies majorly
contributes towards any qualities and the distribution of different range of resources and power
are specifically being distributed in an inequitable form among Indigenous and non indigenous
people.
There are a range of incidence that came in front where different policies impacted
negatively and field the overall holistic view on indigenous population and this reflected towards
health disadvantages faced by indigenous people even when they are carrying all the human
rights in Australia of getting proper education, good health and security from all the risks.
Forswearing of a human right straightforwardly abuses an individual's entitlement to self-
assurance. These rights ought to be secured by an agreement to which Australia is a signatory,
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966). It expresses that "all people
groups have the privilege of self-assurance. By prudence of that correct they openly decide their
political status and unreservedly seek after their financial, social and social turn of events.”
Part 2
Key features of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) as a model of
PHC delivery
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service can be considered as an agency which is
delivering health related services to indigenous Australians. It is specifically being operated by
initiated and operated by Aboriginal community of Australia and focuses on offering health
related services considering comprehensive, holistic, along with culturally positive approach
(Markwick and et. al., 2019).

On the other hand, if it is talked about the key features of Aboriginal Community
Controlled Health Service, then it can be said that this particular model is continuously
delivering primary healthcare, where local aboriginal community has collaborated with different
research partners and it with government of Australia as well where number of sections on which
this model has kept its focus and these are community engagement, cultural safety, health
promotion, clinical services and underpinning the overall investigation and so on. Including this,
it can also be said that this model has also given different opportunities to every journal
community while focusing on family centred primary health care, which will be helping in
reducing the health gap among indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Including this, it has
also been analysed that there are some of the other models as well that focuses on evidence based
investigation, time and resources so that different range of problems faced by indigenous
individuals can easily be resolved in short span (Callander and et. al., 2019).
The basic reason behind formulating Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service
was how to reduce the health gap among indigenous and non-indigenous Australians while
focusing on taking initiatives to decrease the health disadvantages. Reducing the gap means,
different sorts of initiatives towards reflecting, investing and controlling the different needs of
indigenous individuals in order to enhance the overall health standardization and emotional well-
being as well with zero discrimination. Considering the different models developed, essential
medicinal services and network administration, ACCHSs have decreased accidental bigotry,
boundaries to access to social determinants, and are continuously improving individual wellbeing
results for indigenous individuals (Ju and et. al., 2019).
Role can ACCHSs play in reducing health inequities between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous
Australians
There are a few major roles that can be presented of Aboriginal Community Controlled
Health Service while reducing health disadvantages for iniquities among non indigenous and
Indigenous Australians are to close the Gap framework commits to reduce the health
disadvantages faced by indigenous Australians and Torres strait islander people belonging to the
country. Another role that has benefited both the groups through taking different investment
related initiatives while taking help from cross-government-sector (Bingham and et. al., 2019).
Another benefit that came in front for Indigenous Australians considering the role played by
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, is that it has started building healthier

communities because their model has kept its focus on early intervention, prevention, & more
serious care. This reduced barriers linking with racism and has helped indigenous Australians to
get better health outcomes.
Also, it can be said that there is presently a wide scope of essential social insurance
information that gives a sound proof base to contrasting the wellbeing results for Indigenous
individuals in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service with the results accomplished
through standard administrations, models of exhaustive essential social insurance steady with the
patient-focused clinical model; inclusion of the Aboriginal populace higher than 60% outside
significant metropolitan places; reliably improving execution in key execution on best-practice
care markers; and better execution than standard general practice. Aboriginal Community
Controlled Health Service assume a noteworthy job in preparing the clinical workforce and
utilizing Aboriginal individuals. Also, have met people's high expectations of conveying best-
practice care and there is a case for growing Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service
into new regions (Kitching and et. al., 2020). Lastly, it can be said that they have accomplished
the best returns, the current standard closing the health Gap which was found among indigenous
and non-indigenous Australians ought to be moved to the network controlled wellbeing.
Barriers that might prevent ACCHSs in reducing health inequities between Indigenous and non‐
Indigenous Australians
In present context, it has been analysed that there are ample number of barriers that came in
front that impacted negatively on overall initiatives that were being taken by ACCHSs and these
are: shortcomings in different areas of general practitioners, pro clinical administrations,
Aboriginal wellbeing labourers, and a scope of other wellbeing administrations, especially in
country and distant territories, yet in addition an issue in urban regions, an absence of moderate
social insurance administrations, an absence of female specialists including Torres Strait Islander
and Aboriginal specialist organizations, an absence of attention to existing administrations and
wellbeing administrations being unprepared to manage the multifaceted nature of the wellbeing,
social and passionate prosperity and social needs of ladies from these gatherings (Liu and
Wahlqvist, 2019).

Conclusion
With the help of above mentioned report, it is concluded that ACCHSs is considered to be
an effective model that has taken different initiatives in order to help indigenous population to
practicing self-determination, accepting action in practice, promoting the welfare of aboriginal
Australians and establishing structures to support the change towards stable or well-being
societies. Government must accept ACCHS for pioneers in Aboriginal primary health care, yet
keep supporting it.

References
Books and Journals
Jones, R. & et. al., (2019). Educating for indigenous health equity: An international consensus
statement. Academic Medicine, 94(4), 512.
Ketheesan, S. & et. al., (2020). Stress, allostatic load and mental health in Indigenous
Australians. Stress, 1-10.
Paulino, N. A., Vázquez, M. S., & Bolúmar, F. (2019). Indigenous language and inequitable
maternal health care, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 97(1), 59.
Markwick, A. & et. al., (2019). Experiences of racism among Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander adults living in the Australian state of Victoria: a cross-sectional population-
based study. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-14.
Ju, X. & et. al., (2019). Association of Modifiable Risk Factors With Dental Caries Among
Indigenous and Nonindigenous Children in Australia. JAMA network open, 2(5),
e193466-e193466.
Callander, E. & et. al., (2019). Long-term out of pocket expenditure of people with cancer:
comparing health service cost and use for indigenous and non-indigenous people with
cancer in Australia. International journal for equity in health, 18(1), 32.
Bingham, B. & et. al., (2019). Indigenous and non-Indigenous people experiencing homelessness
and mental illness in two Canadian cities: A retrospective analysis and implications for
culturally informed action. BMJ open, 9(4), e024748.
Kitching, G. T. & et. al., (2020). Unmet health needs and discrimination by healthcare providers
among an Indigenous population in Toronto, Canada. Canadian Journal of Public
Health, 111(1), 40-49.
Liu, C. K., & Wahlqvist, M. L. (2019). Dietary diversity offsets the adverse mortality risk among
older indigenous Taiwanese. Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 28(3), 593-600.