What is the problem the health equity strategy is trying to solve?
- What evidence is there about the magnitude of the problem and the costs of doing nothing?
Health can be considered as the state of mental, physical as well as social and cultural wellbeing specifically for the Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people. The disparity among the health outcomes for the Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people in comparison to the general population of Australia is well known as established as per the current data and governmental reports (Lambrinidis 2021). The Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander population has reported to suffer from high rate of chronic challenges like hearing issues, respiratory issues, diabetes, obesity as well as circulatory and heart challenges. Chronic disease rate constitutes up to 64% of overall disease burden among the Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander community people according to AIHW. The prevalence of the health degradation of the community is also connected to their lack of access to basic health care facilities, intergenerational discrimination, inadequate housing facilities, lower literacy and employment rates and high level of incarceration. Regrading the discussion by 2017 Productivity Commission, estimated GDP of Australia can be increased by $4billion every year if the health status of the Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people who are under poor health status can be improved (Smith et al. 2018). Almost 49% of the Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people has been estimated to have 38% of the burden of disease and needs to prevented by the reduction in the modifiable risk factors like obesity, overweight, dietary risk as well as use of drug usage (Apps.who.int. 2022). However, the cost of doing nothing about the health status improvement of the Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people is contributing the health disparity and the health gap with the normal population in the country (Namazi et al. 2019). Regrading the context of the Queensland, mental illness among Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander community is the leading contributor to the disease burden, constituting about 20% of the total disease (Devlin et al. 2019). According to the reports gathered from the government of Queensland, lack of implementation of policies and measures for the improvement of the health of aboriginals have costed on their mental health, contributing to situations like high rate of mental illness, psychological distress, suicides and assaults.
- Which community organisations and individuals are affected by the problem?
Intergenerational discrimination has been common among the experiences by the Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people in Queensland. Discrimination regrading race, institution places the community people at high risk of violence (Stanley et al. 2021). The gap among the health status of the aboriginal and Torres strait Island people as well as the total population of Australia is well known due to the data collected regarding the rising cause for disease as well as majority of significant risk factors regarding the indigenous population. Available evidences states that the major contributors to the health gap as well as disparity includes diabetes and cardiovascular disease accounting for 80% of the health gaps specifically in Queensland state. According to the closing the gap policy statement, the Australian institute of Health and welfare revealed lack of access to primary and basic services to be one of the major factors for aboriginal and Torres strait islander people due to the drivers array of additional barriers including racism and discrimination as well as complex inter generation trauma (Apps.who.int. 2022).
- What objectives, outcomes, goals or targets does the policy aim for?
Why is government/organisational action needed?
Queensland aboriginal and islander as well as Queensland help has been placing the first nation people together with their voice in the centre of the design of healthcare service as well as delivery by making tracks together under the health equity framework. The overall purpose of the policy making tracks targets to actively eliminate discrimination and institutional racism and also influence the cultural and social as well as economic determinants of health by working with the community people as well as health service and traditional owners for the delivery and design and review of the health care services (Health.qld.gov.au. 2022). The policy approach of making tracks, Queensland Australia, articulates the vision for closing the gap in the health outcomes among these aboriginal Queensland as well as the non aboriginal people.
The overall objective of the policy target to address the health-related goals said by the council of Australian government that is closing the life expectancy gap by 2033 and also addressing the gap of child mortality by 2018 (Vallesi et al. 2018).
The goal of the policy document according to the Queensland government is to remain committed for working with the COAG partners on addressing and refreshing the agenda of closing the gap for aboriginal care and well-being.
The health equity framework named as making tracks together by Queensland government is under the national preventive health strategy that sets direction for achieving health equality and improvement in child and adult mortality specifically addressing the needs of aboriginal people (Fahey 2021). The overall target of the policy is to ensure further games and continuity of achieving closing the gap agenda.
The outcome for the policy insurance in continuous achievement of the previous strategies recognising the need of the aboriginal people and also looking at the current evidence to build on the interventions (Health.qld.gov.au. 2022). Overall strategy alliance with advance in the priorities of Queensland and give all the aboriginal and Torres strait islander community people with proper right regarding health and well-being.
- Are the objectives specific, measurable, accountable, realistic and timely?
The objectives of the overall making tracks together health equity framework by Queensland government has been a nascent area of policy and henceforth a worthwhile direction to explore. The policy aligns with the norms and regulations of Queensland government who targets in investing more millions on health service programs for the aboriginal and Torres strait islander people (Commonwealth of Australia. 2021). The overall actions by the Queensland government as well as the objective are specific, measurable, accountable, realistic and timely.
Specific – to provide the aboriginal and Torres strait islander children with a safe as well as healthy initiation of the life by safe and correct health service as well as infant care opportunity followed by improve educational outcomes and protection services for both child and mother.
Outcomes – to reach out the community people by development of equity reform agenda that is driven by the leadership and voices as well as experience of the first nation people in Queensland.
Accountable – The main factor under the health equity agenda lies within the legal needs that has been passed by the parliament of Queensland for the development as well as implementation of equity strategies of health for the elimination of institutional racism from the health sector of public and improvement in the power sharing agents (Health.qld.gov.au. 2018).
What policy options have been adopted?
Realistic – reduction of the modified risk factors that contributes to disease through effective educational programs and initiative together with mechanisms in addressing habits likes smoking and alcohol consumption together with participation within the physical activity as well as access to health information and emergency Health services
Timely – to achieve the goal of making tracks by the next few years in improvement of power sharing arrangement with the indigenous people and creation of strong public Health system legislation in the Queensland by the design and delivery as well as monitoring and review of the health care services for the first nation people (Graham et al. 2022).
- Do the stated options/strategies have capacity to achieve collaboration?
The overall stated opinions and strategies under the goals of the policy framework targets to actively eliminate all the forms of discrimination targeted for the first nation people in the sector of health service and community as well as access to basic rights in the country. The overall policy ensures that children from the community of first nation people not charge their healthy development and experience healthy outcomes compared to the rest of population and hearing to the closing the gap policy of Australia (Health.qld.gov.au. 2018). The overall vision includes the election commitments of Queensland government for the first nation people health for the prevention and healthcare promotion across the states targeted for community engagement and educational programs in support of positive relationship and sexual choices for the young people of the community.
Overall priority areas include reaching out to the younger and the teenage children for the maintenance of a healthy and safe start of life followed by proper education and health system for the establishment of a sustainable and positive patterns of health behaviour that will impact heavily over the mental health outcomes of the community people (Hogarth 2019). The overall goals and targets also ensure in addressing effective health services and improved access regrading health system by enhancement of cultural competence of the work force and participation in service system that can ensure integration among the programs. Development of state wide first nation primary Health care reform framework for the improvement of effectiveness of the service delivery mechanism as well as design and delivery of state founded programs under the Queensland government will ensured in managing illness in a better way for appropriate treatment of the first nation people (Closingthegap.gov.au. 2022). The overall framework and the goals clearly alliance with the closing the gap policy by Australian government. The first nation health equity model, that make tracks for closing the gap within the health outcomes for the first nation people by 2033 henceforth target to ensure long term approach in the prevention of discrimination within indigenous community and non-indigenous community in Australia (Vallesi et al. 2018).
- Who is likely to be affected by the policy objective you have selected?
The overall policy objectives are designed to ensure a positive impact over the first nation community people residing in Queensland state of Australia (Bond and Singh 2020). Identified in the making tracks together health equity framework by Queensland government, there has been a recognised requirement for the delivery of targeted programs for the aboriginal people across the life course as well as across their health conditions. Overall health equity strategy is developed on the set of principles that has guided the priority areas and targeted activities under these including partnerships, community engagement as well as participation in decision making, cultural respect, evidence based and accountable, community control of the primary Health care and finally indigenous Health to be a priority principle for the Australian government (Closingthegap.gov.au. 2022).
The overall priority of making tracks equity model and program by the Queensland government is to ensured that the indigenous people are having a healthy start to life with the support and available of the development and requirements as well as addresser of the risk factors by the empowering of indigenous people for making healthy choices.
- Identify where relevant:
- Social determinants for health
The Queensland government as well as the Australian institute of Health and welfare collaborately targets to address in active research program on the social determinants of health making the first nation people as the priority setting out the key areas of daily living structures and the underline structure and drivers influencing the actions that is required (Jacobs, C., 2018). The social determinants of health agenda are a wider research approach as well as opportunity that target change at the level of international Government as well as institutions that Queensland’s government target to address for the aboriginal and Torres strait islander people (Pearson et al. 2020). Closing the gap within the generation of ensuring health equity by action over the source shell determinants of health for the indigenous population. Effective and good health is related to complex set of factors which include risk challenges and access regarding health services together with environmental factors and individuals’ health capabilities that indigenous people lack. Systematic differences as well as intergenerational trauma have contributed to the increasing gap among the indigenous and non-indigenous population and degrading socio-economic position including differences in employment and education as well as health outcomes (Askew et al. 2020). This policy of target will ensure that social determinants of the indigenous population in Queensland area are restored in terms of their social support and inclusion as well as access to us basic human rights and health facilities specifically targeting mothers and infant children for happy and safe start of their life.
- Are there applicable international/National standards and does the policy objective differ or adopt those standards?
The policy in discussion under the aboriginal health division ad here is to closing the gap policy which majorly targets in the reduction of gaping inequalities existed among indigenous and non-indigenous population in Australia. First nation health equity, tracks together follows the national indigenous reform agreement and the council of Australian government’s commitment of achieving targets for closing the gap in education and health as well as outcomes regarding basic rights (DeLacy et al. 2020). Furthermore, the Queensland government policy mandate also adheres to indigenous Health equity summit statement as well as “National Partnership Agreement On Closing The Gap” on indigenous Health outcomes as the National policies. The health equity framework also follows United nation declaration on the rights of indigenous people that focuses on collective biocultural Heritage and Restoration of the traditional knowledge and customary laws together with basic access and rights of the indigenous population (Ellwood and Wegner 2019). The policy follows articulate the vision supporting measurable targets and principles under National preventive health strategy for improving the well-being and health of all the Australians perspective of diversity within all of the stages of life by prevention.
- Is the purpose of any consultation made obvious?
The purpose of consultation during the development of the policy by Queensland parliament for hospital and health service as well as Queensland aboriginal and islander health council ensured that the aboriginal peoples voices within the centre of healthcare service design are understood and delivered by actively understanding of the discrimination and racism by ensuring that they are properly getting the health services and community rights.
The overall cornerstone of the health equity agenda has been villages City requirement passed by the government of Queensland as well as Australia if the target of eliminating racism from the public health sector and ensuring that hospital and health boards under health equity strategies amendment regulation 2021 is followed effectively for the betterment of services for the indigenous population (Vallesi et al. 2018).
Government of Queensland launched making tracks towards closing the gap in his outcomes for the indigenous people by 2033 providing the policy directions to guide the governments long time effort on achieving the health parity among the indigenous and the non-indigenous population.
- Summarise the current principal views or perspectives of two stakeholders?
Two significant stakeholders, the Queensland Government and the Australian institute of Health and welfare outlines areas that are required across the health service and lifespan to achieve the health parity (Smith et al. 2020). Making tracks policy and accountability framework ensures that managing illness in a better way and effective health services together with improvement of data and evidences in the health system of Queensland state can ensure in delivery of cultural capable mainstream service complemented by well-integrated and target services and programs.
The current principal views of the stakeholders also encourage in the accessible for the aboriginal and state islander people for all the easiest as per their requirements and abilities and his majorly complemented by actions across the social and cultural determinant in a broader section like education and housing and employment which are the essential factors for the improvement of the health and we will be of the first nation people (Carson et al. 2020). Some of the guiding principles include holistic health as a concept of health as well as incorporation of spiritual and physical and cultural will be together with values and expectations of the island and people that needs to be the central and respected in the delivery of culturally competent services of health.
References
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