Past Policy Impact on Health of Australian Aboriginal People
Essay
Health outcomes of Aboriginal Australians are a major focus in healthcare system. There is a huge burden of illness within Indigenous communities in comparison with Australia’s non-Indigenous counterparts. It could be explained in part by the process of colonization and past government policies that continually threaten the health outcomes of Indigenous communities. However, contemporary governments now claim to be implementing strategies and plans addressing past wrongs in the healthcare system for Aboriginal People. One of crucial intervention is in Primary Health Care aimed at minimizing disparities in healthcare systems between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
It is argued that colonization had a major impact on health conditions of Indigenous Australians. From early settlement, deaths from white man’s measles and common flu gave way to more recent diabetes and renal diseases. Prior to the colonization, Indigenous people were physically healthy with hunting and collecting lifestyle. Interaction with white settlement deprived them of traditional food sources and mission society created a food currency of flour, sugar and tea. This was an unhealthy diet. For example, consuming a large amount of tea can lead to mal-absorption of iron (Taylor &Gruien, 2010). Another more recent example of black-white interaction was the psychologically damaging policy of the ‘Stolen Generations’ adoption policy, in which the children were taken out of their families and forcibly assimilated into a different culture, creating loss of cultural identity, behavioral disturbances and long-term health problems. Especially, Aboriginal mothers were damaged who still show signs of emotional pain and suppression (Taylor &Gruien, 2010).
Since the Bicentennial of Settlement (1788-1988) the idea of a ‘Treaty’ of Reconciliation has been debated. A national policy of ‘Reconciliation’ has gained more support. The ‘Stolen Generation’ report and the Federal
Health outcomes of Aboriginal Australians are a major focus in healthcare system. There is a huge burden of illness within Indigenous communities in comparison with Australia’s non-Indigenous counterparts. It could be explained in part by the process of colonization and past government policies that continually threaten the health outcomes of Indigenous communities. However, contemporary governments now claim to be implementing strategies and plans addressing past wrongs in the healthcare system for Aboriginal People. One of crucial intervention is in Primary Health Care aimed at minimizing disparities in healthcare systems between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
It is argued that colonization had a major impact on health conditions of Indigenous Australians. From early settlement, deaths from white man’s measles and common flu gave way to more recent diabetes and renal diseases. Prior to the colonization, Indigenous people were physically healthy with hunting and collecting lifestyle. Interaction with white settlement deprived them of traditional food sources and mission society created a food currency of flour, sugar and tea. This was an unhealthy diet. For example, consuming a large amount of tea can lead to mal-absorption of iron (Taylor &Gruien, 2010). Another more recent example of black-white interaction was the psychologically damaging policy of the ‘Stolen Generations’ adoption policy, in which the children were taken out of their families and forcibly assimilated into a different culture, creating loss of cultural identity, behavioral disturbances and long-term health problems. Especially, Aboriginal mothers were damaged who still show signs of emotional pain and suppression (Taylor &Gruien, 2010).
Since the Bicentennial of Settlement (1788-1988) the idea of a ‘Treaty’ of Reconciliation has been debated. A national policy of ‘Reconciliation’ has gained more support. The ‘Stolen Generation’ report and the Federal