Everywhere around the globe there are those people who have the wherewithal to get adequate healthcare, and then there are those from lower socioeconomic groups who never seem to get enough, if any, services. Sometimes this is because they are indigent and other times it is a cultural thing. In either case, when it comes to the Aboriginal tribes of Australia, there is a huge disparity between the majority of the population and these indigenous peoples who are greatly underserved. If you are seeking a masters in healthcare management, this is the type of problem that you might want to concentrate on in your studies, as there is a great need for better and more organized services to the many interior tribes.
Understanding the Depth of These Disparities
Major teaching universities such as Regis College in the United States seek to address the needs of underserved portions of any population when providing an MSHA degree. When it comes to the Aboriginal tribes of Australia, there are a number of factors which must be addressed if they are to be provided the healthcare services they so greatly need. The first area would be location. Almost all of Australia’s ‘affluent’ population lives less than 100 km from the coastline.
As for the Aboriginals, they are mostly inland, and to make matters worse, there are at least 104 different languages and dialects being spoken amongst these tribes. How is a healthcare manager to serve a population with little to no commonality in communication? From there, the differences go on and on, but it is a fact that much of the reason they are underserved is due to location, language barriers and localized customs from tribe to tribe.
WHO Addresses the Ongoing Problems in Healthcare in Australia
Whilst there is a problem in many nations around the world where indigenous people are not privy to the same healthcare services that the majority of the population enjoys, it is especially prominent in Australia. Because of this, the World Health Organization, WHO, issued advice on the healthcare needs of Australia’s Aboriginals. Of great concern is the fact that the average tribal family only earns approximately half of what the average non-Aboriginal Australian earns. This leads to poverty, which is a predominant reason for the lack of healthcare services among these native peoples.
The Depth of Their Poverty Is Hard to Comprehend
Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend when the average MSHA salary is often a six figure income, but the truth is, most of these interior peoples simply don’t have the resources to pay for medical services as the bulk of their income is spent on survival. Then there is the fact that a lack of adequate healthcare abbreviates their lives by as many as 17 years, as compared to other residents of this island nation. What this nation sorely needs is a system of healthcare services that will reach inward to the Aboriginals of Australia. By reaching out to these tribal peoples, it might give them the benefit of affordable healthcare in a nation that is considered to be one of the globe’s most stable economies.
Perhaps an awareness of the problem is a step in the right direction, but until more healthcare leaders take an active role in promoting inward expansion, the Aboriginals will continue to be highly underserved.
