Calls for better, culturally appropriate health services

SBS World News Radio: The latest snapshot of the health of Australians shows Aussies are living longer, although half of all Australians live with chronic disease.

Calls for better, culturally appropriate health servicesCalls for better, culturally appropriate health services

Calls for better, culturally appropriate health services

But multicultural and indigenous communities are calling for health services to be better tailored to improve the lives of Australians from diverse backgrounds.

The report, entitled, "Australia's Health 2016", shows 85 per cent of Australians rate their health as good, very good, or excellent.

But health outcomes are generally worse for people in remote areas, and especially for Indigenous Australians.

Health care advocates say a one-size-fits-all approach to health care doesn't work.

Kylie Gwynne is from the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.

She says Indigenous people sometimes don't seek help because they don't find healthcare services welcoming.

"If you're frightened to attend a healthcare service, it's not surprising that you will leave that to the latest possible point. And I think that if we look at the statistics around our healthcare services, and we find that many, many healthcare services have Aboriginal people presenting only at the point of emergency or a critical care point, then that tells us something about how welcoming those services are."

Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley admits health outcomes for Indigenous Australians are not what they should be.

"The life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is about ten years less than non-indigenous Australians. Their risk of coronary heart disease is twice that of non-indigenous Australians, and they're five times as likely to have end-stage kidney disease."

But in some corners of the country, things are beginning to change.

Rieo Ellis is a type 2 diabetic, and Indigenous.

She works as a health worker an Indigenous health clinic in Victoria.

She says she has access to a health care system at her clinic that she feels is culturally appropriate - and she wouldn't be alive today otherwise.

She says even small things can make it more welcoming for people like her.

"They have, like an Aboriginal worker there, or even seeing an Aboriginal poster is welcoming. People come here sometimes for a yarn, and by the time they get to see the doctor, they're feeling a lot better."

Don Nutbeam is a Professor of Public Health at Sydney University.

He says the problems some indigenous people face are replicated for some Australians of multicultural backgrounds.

"If English isn't your primary language, or you have a lower level of literacy, the health system is quite demanding."

And with chronic disease set to rise further with the ageing of the Australian population, advocates say ensuring the health system works for everyone is vital.

 


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