Statistics paint a deteriorating picture of the life expectancy and the quality of life for the indigenous people in the world. The figure takes into account the minority cultures, especially those who suffer from tuberculosis, preventable blindness, as well as infant mortality.
Indigenous Cultures in Details
Indigenous people are a group of individuals who existed before the colonization and settlement of the Europeans. Native culture usually shares a distinct identity, a strong connection with the natural world as well as a developed social ideal, religion, and art. It is estimated that there are over 370 million indigenous people who reside in over 70 countries around the world.
The Health Problem Facing Indigenous People
The native society regularly suffers from poor health compared to other developed society in the world. It is estimated that about 80% of the population still rely on informal treatment, health maintenance that include animal remedies, mineral, and plants, as well as other spiritual healing methods. Such systems work best in isolation or in combinations, but modern medicine is way more useful in different situations.
Childbirth and Other Diseases around the World
Areas such as the Latin America have a mortality rate of 60%, which is higher in the indigenous compared to the non-indigenous culture. One of the greatest contributors to the rise or fall in mortality rate is whether the mother receives good parental care. In Vietnam, for instance, most of the childbirths take place without the parental care. That said, if there could be a few elite individual, especially those who have undertaken a masters in nursing program can help the indigenous populations receive the best care before, during, and after childbirth.
In Australia, it’s estimated that out of the total population of 23million people, about 1.7 million of those people suffer from type 1 or 2 diabetes—which is about 7% of the general population. If you consider the issues to do with infections and access to clean drinking water in areas that lack access to such amenities, then such communities are doubly disadvantaged.
The Need for Change
Many organizations within and outside the government have come together to handle the rise of crucial health related problems. Their aim is to ensure that people around the world get access to medicine by creating a more affordable health care while at the same time trying to educate the indigenous population about the different types of diseases and how they can be managed.
Getting reliable and prompt health care to every individual isn’t an easy task since it requires a lot of efforts to reach the minority groups. That is why it’s important for the professionals to be educated to gain trust from the social groups. They will also need to learn the unfamiliar cultures and try to overcome the language barrier.