Premium
RS14
THE GROWING BURDEN OF TRAUMA IN THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION: TOWARDS A BETTER AND SAFER FUTURE
Author(s) -
Jacob O.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2009.04929_14.x
Subject(s) - indigenous , life expectancy , medicine , population , disadvantaged , intervention (counseling) , demography , environmental health , psychiatry , economic growth , sociology , ecology , economics , biology
Indigenous people of Australia are said to have arrived in Australia 40,000 years ago from South Asia and represent mankind's marvellous potential for adaptation, resilience and cooperation with nature. Australia is ranked at the bottom of the wealthy nations for Indigenous health. Indigenous Central Australian's disproportionately suffer from reduced life expectancy and quality of life. Their life expectancy remains 17 years less than the national average and they are four times more likely to suffer from some form of injury. From 2000 to 2008 there was dramatic increase in the number of trauma admissions to Alice Springs Hospital. Violence accounts for more than half of the annual trauma caseload. More than half the victims of assault were female. The stab injuries constitute a significant proportion of the total admissions. Causes and consequences of trauma vary from population to population and from place to place. Prevention strategies and treatment should be tailored accordingly. Improving the health status of a disadvantaged, marginalised and culturally distinct population is a complex task and requires complex solutions. Rampant alcoholism and social and family breakdown are thought to be significant contributors to the high incidence of violence. However, the root cause of this rampant alcoholism must be sought, as measures to restrict alcohol have not achieved desired results. Many of the literature on violence identify the dependant state of indigenous people as the primary issue. Indigenous people are unable to control their lives. When a language has been lost, suppressed or ignored, future generations are deprived of their birthright and voice. Many ethnic conflicts are the result of suppression of culture and language by a more dominant group. How can we ever stem the tide of all this violence? Surely this transformation cannot happen overnight. Indigenous people of Australia need opportunities to regain control of their lives. Avenues for economic empowerment and engaging young Indigenous Australians need to be sought to end this vicious cycle of social breakdown and violence. While communities remain in the dependent situation often exemplified by resentment of police attention and resort to alcohol, the degree of violence against self and others will continue unabated.