Indigenous Health Policies: Attitudes, Responsibilities, & Approaches

This essay examines Indigenous health care policies and approaches in Australia, focusing on the attitudes towards Indigenous people, the concept of collective responsibility, and the importance of integrated health policies. It highlights the disparities in health care access and outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, emphasizing the need for policies that address these inequalities. The essay analyzes the advantages of an integrated approach, such as fostering a sense of belonging, improving access to healthcare, and enhancing social and environmental conditions. It also discusses the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan, underscoring the importance of bridging the health gap and ensuring equitable access to mainstream services and healthcare facilities. The conclusion emphasizes the impact of collective efforts from government, communities, and NGOs in improving Indigenous health outcomes. The essay uses references like Austin-Broos & Merlan (2017) and Smith (2016) to support its arguments.

Running Head: INDIGENIOUS HEALTH CARE POLICIES AND APPROACH 1
Indigenous health Care Policies and Approach
Name
Institutional Affiliation

INDIGENIOUS HEALTH CARE POLICIES AND APPROACH 2
Indigenous health Care Policies and Approach
Introduction
The universal human rights declaration advocates for the right to good health, it states
that everyone is entitled to get the care they need, at any time they need it in a friendly way that
makes them feel comfortable and to eventually achieve the desired results that are worth the
value of their money. The indigenous people in Australia include the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people. These people have often been sidelined in many ways including; access to
good health care, education, resource allocation, employment opportunity among others (Smith,
2016). Despite the fact that they are indigenous people and the fact that they are different, they
are also the origins of Australia and they, therefore, have equal rights to access government or
public resources like any other Australian.
Q. 1.
Attitudes to individuals’ play a major role it can adversely affect people’s perception of
an individual or a certain group of people, for example, the attitude towards the indigenous
people makes them feel inferior, and rejected. These attitudes can create hatred or even enmity
between groups of people or individual. On the other hand, collective responsibility brings
together the community. Collective responsibility involves individuals, groups, society and the
community working together as one group. With collective responsibility compared to individual
responsibility, it recognizes everyone’s origin and it makes everyone feel part and parcel of a
community and this can easily help in the improvement of the indigenous people's health care
because they are part of the community and; therefore, have the rights to public resources like
any other person.

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Q. 2.
Integrated aspect means putting together or rather bringing things or people to work or
live together; therefore, integrated approach to health policy means that the policies should be
tailored in a way that it doesn’t leave out anyone or a group of people, it should be all-inclusive.
Advantages of having an integrated approach to health care policies include: a sense of
belonging, with the integrated approach to health policy, will bring together the indigenous
people and make them feel like part of the community and this will make them feel a sense of
belonging. The second advantage is that the indigenous people will be able to access better
healthcare just like other Australians and this will, in turn, improve their health conditions. The
third advantage is that there will be better provision of health care facilities and social amenities
and this will improve the social conditions of the indigenous people. Lastly, the integrated
approach to health policy will include good sanitation, clean water for the indigenous people thus
improving their environmental conditions.
Q. 3.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan which runs from the year
2013-2023 provide a long-term framework with its main intention is to bridge the gap on the
disadvantages of the indigenous. The government should understand that for a socio-economic
development to take place in the indigenous regions, the health status and standards of living of
the indigenous people must be improved. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people do
not have the same opportunities to live healthy as other Australians, for example, the
inaccessibility to the mainstream services, which are supposed to be accessed by all Australians
has been misappropriated to serve only the non-indigenous people. You find that in other parts of
Australia there are adequate health facilities as opposed to the indigenous areas. There is access

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to medical health care for conditions like obesity to other Australians but not for the indigenous
people and this clearly, shows that it’s the majority being given the priority and the minority left
on their own.
Conclusion
Having government, local communities, Non-Governmental Organizations and others
fight for the right of the indigenous peoples is likely to create a great impact on the indigenous
people’s health than having them fight for their own rights (Austin-Broos & Merlan, 2017).
Every Australian citizen is entitled to good health care are all entitled to the rights and privileges
within their government system without discrimination.

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References
Austin-Broos, D. J., & Merlan, F. (2017). People and change in indigenous Australia.
Smith, J. D. (2016). Australia's rural, remote and Indigenous health: A social determinant
perspective.