Indigenous health is related to the physical, cultural, emotional and the social wellbeing of the members of the Aboriginal community and the Torres Strait islander people. Most of these indigenous Australians are seen to experience poorer health conditions in comparison to the non-indigenous Australians therefore they tend to die at much younger ages (Parker & Milroy, 2014). There is a tendency that these indigenous Australians suffer from more chronic diseases. Often these conditions are unknown in the non-indigenous population however the occurrences of the chronic diseases keep on increasing in case of the indigenous population. In order to provide better access of healthcare services to this population, the government of Australia has taken initiatives in order to design programs and health services that are significant in improving the health and life expectancy in addition to reducing the rate of mortality (Lawrence, Hancock& Kisely, 2013). This paper aims to highlight such an organisation namely the Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service (BAMS), which is involved in providing healthcare services to the indigenous people.
The Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service (BAMS), was developed as a non-profit community organization, that was managed by the indigenous. This organization was developed in the year 1999 in Bowraville, NSW (Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service – Aboriginal Medical Service, 2018). This organization was developed in order to address the needs of the indigenous in terms of provision of accessible health care and medical servives that is both affordable and high in quality. These medical clinics are involved in offering services to the local communities. This organization is one of the only autonomous indigenous managed healthcare services that works on a full time basis and is involved in bulk billing of medical centres.
The aim of the Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Services (BAMS) is offer the local communities with medical services as it is one of the only Aboriginal Medical Service in Australia that works on a full time basis and is involved in bulk billing of medical centres.
The mission of the organization is to strengthen the connections existing between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous people residing in the community and to endeavour to establish new alliances in order to identify and address the existing challenges that are present within the communities that are culturally diverse hence closing the gap in the aspect of Indigenous Health.
The organization’s vision is to commit to the closing of the gap of life-expectancy of the Indigenous and other Australians since they are still dying at an elevated rate, almost 10 to 17 years younger than other non-indigenous Australians (Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service – Aboriginal Medical Service, 2018).
The five clinics of the Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Services (BAMS) that generally operates on a “community-cooperative” model along with Board of Directorsof the Aboriginals along with a CEO who is involved in managing the daily operations. It also involves staffs who are paid along with other volunteers who assist in the Medical Service of the reception side of the area (Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service | ISX, 2018). The programs and services of the Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Services (BAMS) involves:
The organization is involved in provided healthcare services to about 15,000 patients. It has a medical service that is fully integrated consisting of six full-time physicians along with two part-time physicians in addition to 28 staff and volunteer. Bawrunga strives to continue the retention for future doctors to work with the organisation. The organization had received funding from the government in order to establish the medical service which was a major achievement for the aboriginal organization.
The Aboriginal Medical Services (BAMS) six medical clinics is involved in operation. BAMS strives in providing the permanent opportunities of employment to the individuals of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populationworking within Bawrunga’s service areas, which they doby efficient financial practices (Department of Health | Indigenous Health, 2018).
The organization currently employs 120 Indigenous members who are involved in the delivery of primary health care programs. In addition, they provide educational programs addressing the needs of the Aboriginal community since 2000. This includes innovative programs and involved independence of State or Federal Government funding (Aboriginal Health, 2018). The members were also taken among the Gumbaynggirr people who are the local residents. The members are contacted from the respective traditional lands and placed in a number of Missions located around the North Coast and beyond. Members were also taken from the local Nambucca community and they are employed to work as labourers. The members required to contact the Missions. In addition, they were not given the permission to reside at their traditional lands. The employees involve the 28 administrative / clinical staff and 8 General Practitioners.
The Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service operates through the clinics located in the Mid North Coast of New South Wales and three clinics in the NSW Western Plains Region (Aboriginal Health – Inspire Magazine – IBA, 2018). The locations of the medical centres along with the contact are:
Bawrunga is currently involved in working at regarding the challenge of buying a business property. The upheld vision is to build up focus that is completely free network based, adjusting the Bowraville and Nambucca Valley District. For accomplishing this, there is a requirement of purchasing personal property and building of the organization. When the building is bought it would provide the neighbourhood individuals the capacity to spread out and give extra administrations from a secured and long-lasting base along with addressing the issues of strength. In addition to this, reduction of the enormous expenses of leasing and finding appropriate premises, gaining of acknowledgment for the nearby customary individuals who have been associated with giving neighbourhood answers for neighbourhood issues with no administration financing to date (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018). Provision of acknowledgment and strengthening through land possession has already not been conceivable to the majority of the nearby Aboriginal individuals because of the absorption strategies of the past.
These indigenous people had an overall positive opinion regarding the indigenous health care services. Through my interaction with these people who have been involved in using these services and the primary care that was provided by the Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service (BAMS) I understood that these services are involved in providing care to a culturally competent manner. The service users revealed that they were highly benefitted from these services especially in terms of diversional activities.
Conclusion
In conclusion it can be stated that the Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service (BAMS) successfully works towards the physical, cultural, emotional and the social wellbeing of the members of the Aboriginal community and the Torres Strait islander people. These services are involved in providing care to a culturally competent manner. The service users revealed that they were highly benefitted from these services especially in terms of diversional activities.
References
Aboriginal Health – Inspire Magazine – IBA. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.iba.gov.au/article/the-healing-place/
Aboriginal Health. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.naccho.org.au/about/aboriginal-health/
Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service – Aboriginal Medical Service. (2018). Retrieved from https://bawrunga.org.au/
Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service | ISX. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.isx.org.au/projects/bawrunga-aboriginal-medical-service
Department of Health | Indigenous Health. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/indigenous
Home – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au
Indigenous health. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/indigenous-health
Jongen, C., McCalman, J., Bainbridge, R., &Tsey, K. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and child health and wellbeing: a systematic search of programs and services in Australian primary health care settings. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 14(1), 251.
Lawrence, D., Hancock, K. J., & Kisely, S. (2013). The gap in life expectancy from preventable physical illness in psychiatric patients in Western Australia: retrospective analysis of population based registers. Bmj, 346, f2539.
Parker, R., & Milroy, H. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health: an overview. Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice. 2nd ed. Canberra: Department of The Prime Minister and Cabinet, 25-38.
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