Indigenous Health Essay

Question: Write an essay on Indigenous Health? Answer: I am the local Australian aboriginal women, who is born and brought up in Darwin. I come from the large family, my father was Chinese and my mother was from Iran. Its quite common for the aboriginal to be a part of large families. I am the eldest among my brothers and sisters, and being the elder among siblings, my family expects me to take all the responsibility. Just like other aboriginal families, my family also faced different health problems, in spite of having the healthy lifestyle and good livings standard. My family has the chronic diseases, which might occur in relation to the lifestyle adopted by the person, or it can also happen due to genetic reasons (Lea 2008). As per the history of my family, my fathers side has different health issues like, cancer, diabetes, and strokes, and in result of that my family has to regularly visit the doctor for checkups. I have witness my family members facing health issues, but most difficult one was of my dad, who also had health problems (Lea, 2008). Since his childhood, he had to face health issues, and he had heart fever, and therefore, he had to undergo medication in his young age. Even at the age of twelve, he was admitted to hospital various times, as he had the problem of diabetes and due to this problem, he has to do undergo diagnosis (Barraclough and Gardner 2008). When my dad realize that his diabetes problem is coming normal, he again faced another health problem, and this time it was his eyesight that got effected, and after consulting with doctor, we came to know that his eyesight was deteriorating, and high risk occurred on blindness that might come in next 2-4 years. As my dad was the only child of his parents, he has to struggle to accept that he has to undergo diagnosis and therefore, he decided to take retirement, so that he could be around his children, who can take care of him. At the age of 45, while ding through the regular checkups, my dad was requested to take other tests, as our family history was not good in terms of health. After the results came of tests, we were so shock, as test depicts that there was blockage in my fathers arteries, and therefore, he took him to one of the best hospitals in Australia (Lewis 2003). My friend has also loss there family due to heart problems, therefore I was very worried about my fathers heal th. After this treatment my father started recovering and came back to his normal life, and started going on work. At the age of 60, my father went on a regular checkup at hospital, and again my whole family came under stress, as my father was diagnose with blood cancer. I was very shock, because I have lost my grandfather in cancer, and my father has also lost his best friend due to cancer. My father was very worried about his health and after testing cancer, he was quite shattered, but my whole family supported him and didnt let him loss hope from life (Lfgren and Leeuw 2011). I have noted that my father was not able to easily grasp the medical terminology, and he also failed in understanding the procedure (Arnarnaaq, 2010). My father even struggle in his life to accept various changes that happened in his body, and for cancer, he had to go under blood transplant. Blood cancer is quite painful, as this problem is for life time. Once the blood gets impure it had to be again transplant, and this cost high for our family. This treatment impacted the life of my father and we all have to live our li fe in sadness and stress. As I was the eldest child of my parents, I took the responsibility to take my father to hospital for getting regular sessions of chemotherapy, taking appointments with doctors and hospital trips (Thompson and Merrifield 1989). It was true that my father would never get best treatment, without the involvement of his whole family. In this whole process I learned to take better decision for my family and for my father. After 14 months of his blood cancer treatment, my father diagnose with stomach cancer. This was the most painful experience for our family and for my father. After this news my family lost all hopes, but being the elder child of my family, I took responsibility and make my family understand that our father needs our help and for that we have to be with him. We took him to the hospital for his operation of stomach, so that his problem of stomach cancer could be solved. After few months, condition of my father got better, and therefore we all took him for the holidays so that he could get some change. After we return from the trip, my father was again hospitalizing for his blood transplant. Blood cancer was quite aggressive but my family was near to my father, and we all feel fortunate that in this critical time, we all are one and helping each other. During blood transplant of my father we all took a room in hospital and stayed there with him, so that we could support him and take care of him. Our other family members and friends also visited the hospital to support my father, so that he could bear that pain and recover soon. After doing so many struggles with his life, my father passed away at the age of 65, this loss was unbearable for our whole family (Carson, Dunbar, Chenhall Bailie, 2007). Its not easy to see someone go, who had spent his whole life for us to give us all facilities and good life. My siblings and mother was so much in pain, but I tried to take charge and supported my family, just like I used to support my father. My whole family tried to cope up with this loss, and I would say that it was the darkest part of my life. I have seen my family and many people from my community who had to face chronic disease and therefore, I committed my life in aboriginal health sector, so that I could serve the patients in better way and try to give them best treatment, which could improve their life and reduce their pain (Bakx, 1991). My experience in health sector has given me purpose to improve the aboriginal health status. This was quite challenging task for me, but at the same time I have faith and confidence on me. After four years of my fathers death, it was quite not easy for me to share this complete story, but the main reason, why I want to discuss it was, that I felt that this never happen with any one, but I want to make others understand what I, my father and my family went through after my father was diagnose with all these problems, and how much we all have to struggle to support him and didnt let my father morale go down (Hunter, 1993). According to the statistics, investment done in Aboriginal health is important and these issues should be regularly debated to different levels, so that health authorities could understand and try to take proper measures (Hunter, 1993). Its important to understand and remember to improve the healthcare services. Therefore, I always try to support my family, friends and my community with my work in healthcare field, so that they remain healthy and fit without any heath issues. References Lea, T. (2008). Bureaucrats and Bleeding Hearts: Indigenous Health in Northern Australia. Australia: UNSW Press. Hunter, E. (1993). Aboriginal Health and History: Power and Prejudice in Remote Australia. Australia: Cambridge University Press. Arnarnaaq, R. (2010). Aboriginal Peoples health within the health sciences: A Mtis, Inuit First Nations specific health series. Hamilton: McMaster University. Carson, B., Dunbar, T., Chenhall, R. D. Bailie, R. (2007). Social Determinants of Indigenous Health. Australia: Allen Unwin. Bakx, K. (1991). The eclipse of folk medicine in western society. Sociology of Health and Illness, 13(1), 19-38. Lea, T. 2008. Bureaucrats and Bleeding Hearts: Indigenous Health in Northern Australia. Australia: UNSW Press. Barraclough, S. and Gardner, H. 2008. Analysing Health Policy: A Problem-oriented Approach. Australia: Elsevier Australia. Lewis, M. 2003. The People's Health: Public Health in Australia, 1950 to the Present, [Part of two volume set]: Public Health in Australia, 1950 to the Present, [Part of two volume set]. Australia: ABC-CLIO. Lfgren, H. and Leeuw, E. D. 2011. Democratizing Health: Consumer Groups in the Policy Process. Australia: Edward Elgar Publishing. Thompson, N. and Merrifield, P. 1989. Aboriginal Health: An Annotated Bibliography. Australia: Aboriginal Studies Press.