Aboriginal Studies

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Social Justice and Human Rights Issues:
A Global Perspective

Responses and initiatives
Indigenous Australian Case Study:
Torres Strait Mer (Murray Island) and Eddie 'Koiki' Mabo

3. Health

Health is a vital issue in the Torres Strait. Torres Strait Islanders experience a lower level of health than the general Australian population.

Traditionally the Torres Strait Islanders relied on the use of local medicines. These were prescribed by 'medicine men'. The medicine men could call upon the assistance of the spirit world.

The Government later set up Medical Aid Posts (M.A.P.) on each island, which was run by the Government Nurse and her assistants. Most of these assistants were local women who were trained at Thursday Island. For many years the wives of European teachers at Badu, Mabuiag, Yorke, Darnley and Murray were responsible for the running of the M.A.Ps.

Today Murray Island has a clinic but no hospital. A doctor and two nurses staff the clinic. The staff is not Torres Strait Islander but they are fluent in Meriam. Major medical emergencies are dealt with at Thursday Island. Patients are flown to Thursday Island by plane. Thursday Island also supplies other specialist care.

An issue compounding the health issue is poor quality data on Torres Strait Islanders. The problems causing this according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare are "the quality and availability of data include incomplete identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in administrative data collections (such as death registrations, hospital records, cancer registries and communicable disease notifications); uncertainties in estimating the size and composition of the Indigenous population; and a relative lack of high-quality survey data about this comparatively small population group" (AIHW 1999).

Basic statistics on Torres Strait Islander health are:

Life Expectancy
Life expectancy at birth for Indigenous Australians in the period 1991-96 was estimated to be 56.9 years for males and 61.7 years for females, considerably lower than the all-Australian estimates of 75.2 years for males and 81.1 years for females (AIHW 1999).
Mortality
There are no suitable statistics, according the AIHW, to report on this.
Overall Mortality
The death rates for Indigenous people exceeded those for all Australians in every age group with the greatest figure in the 35-54 years age group. There are no reliable data at present to determine whether and to what extent the death.
Age at Death
Fifty three per cent of the deaths of Indigenous males and forty one percent of the deaths of Indigenous females were of people aged less than 50 years.
Causes of Death
The major causes of deaths among Indigenous people were cardiovascular diseases, injury, respiratory diseases, cancer, and diabetes. These accounted for 75% of all Indigenous deaths (AIHW 1999).
Infant Mortality
Infant mortality, death in the first year of life, was 3.1 times as high for Indigenous males (1,873 per 100,000) as for all Australian males (605) and 3.5 times as high for Indigenous females (1,731) as for all Australian females (495) (AIHW 1999).
Hospitalisation
The rates of hospitalisation were much higher among Indigenous people than among all Australians in every age group (AIHW 1999).

The problems with these statistics are that they are based on Indigenous people from all over Australia. These statistics from the ABS, based on the census, are used to provide medical services and funding. The census for 2001 will, for the first time, distinguish between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people.

My father believed in providing appropriate medical services to Torres Strait Islanders. This is why he became President of the 'Council for the Rights of Indigenous People' in 1970. This was an all-indigenous organization, which pioneered a medical service. This organization was important as it allowed the indigenous people of the Townsville area to make their own decisions and have control of their own social services.

Activity

Research and answer the following questions on Torres Strait Islander health.

What has been the impact of invasion and colonisation and subsequent events on Islander health?
What are the health statistics for Islander people and the health standards in their communities?
What mainstream government health programs and strategies exist to address Islander health issues, including culturally appropriate programs and strategies?
What Islander initiatives exist in addressing lifestyle factors that impact on health including community health programs?
What is the importance of regaining land, and cultural and spiritual maintenance, in improving Islander health status?
What social and political changes are necessary to improve Islanders' health standards?
What similarities and differences exist in health issues for Islanders and Aboriginal peoples and communities?

For additional statistics on Indigenous health go to:

Click on the links below to investigate other topics in this Indigenous Australian Case Study: