HEALTH PROGRAM

Health Program for Promoting Australian Indigenous Health

Health Program for Promoting Australian Indigenous Health

Introduction

The state government of Australia has a deep interest in the promoting the Health of Indigenous people while providing a number of supports and variety of services. As a matter of fact, every state funded hospital and healthcare service providers give exclusive attention to the circumstances of Indigenous people and make sure that culturally appropriate services should be offered in an appropriate manner. Government is more focused to develop strategies that can investigate better services in working with NGOs, general practitioners, Aboriginal communities and hospitals to improve Indigenous health. Furthermore to the extended range of health services provided, the State also support various superior projects that should be made to improve health of Indigenous families, environmental health in Aboriginal communities, disease prevention in Ingenious community, material and nutrition abuse. Other programs such as “Closing the gap” targeted to improve the medical and health services in remote Indigenous locations and communities. In addition, States offer support to enhance the network of communities and efficient management of the Indigenous health services.

One of the successful programs that are active in this respect is fixing houses for better health projects. The program started by the former Torres and Aboriginal Strait Islander Commission, but later from 2001 the responsibility to fund the project given to the FaHCSIA (Department of Families, Housing, Community and Indigenous Affairs). The project aimed to increase household and houses living conditions in remote and rural communities so that better health status could be achieved.

Discussions

Background

The dreadful situation of Indigenous health and social care today is a consequence of decades of inadequate services and neglect. Poverty caused by poor education and housing, high unemployment, discrimination need of empowerment and unresolved trauma has all added to the situation. The report of 2007 by the Australian Medical Association has revealed the evidences which have produced biases in the health system of Australia. As a result of investigation, it revealed that the Indigenous people living in Torres and Aboriginal Islanders not offered benefits from the health services comparatively to the other Australians. Either the quality of healthcare offered to them was culturally unwelcomed and intolerant, or they are living in a location where mainstream health facilities are unable to provide. In order to face the situation, government has taken firm steps to provide better health care facilities or at least improve the living standards so that health issues could be minimized.

FHBH (Fixing Houses for Better Health) program started to contribute in improving the living standards and health in aboriginal communities. However, the program began on a small scale, but it increased the influence and concentration of the volunteers in limited time. Initially the program targeted individual, household level communities, which was only developing a healthier environment of living. The methods selected were simple but were efficient to achieve their goals.

Aim and Intentions

The FHBH program initially made to improve the health status in indigenous ...