SECTION I ---

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H E L L T H . -

(a TEi3 PRESZNT ----- SITUATION.

This r a p o r t c2.n d i s c u s s only tho orgcnic 2nd physical disdescs found mong Aboriginogand whothor such incidonao i a g r J s t o r than among thc whito connunity. Ths ncturo and oxtont of tho m o t i o n & rmd gsychologiccl

dieturbanoos d o r i v i n g fron t h e Aborigincre' p a r t i c u l a r s o c i a l cnd h o a l t h 2,cttorn ronain l a r g o l y uninvustigstod. Studont Action f o r A3origino8 s u b n i t t a d a quostionntliro t o dight nediccl p r o o t i t i o n o r s i n north-wcst cad northorn N.S.W.,

i n Fobruary 1965.

ButwGon thon thoy h o w hnh pmsonal axp;irionco o f tho n c j o r i t y of Aborigini

sctimts i n tho rogion.

findings

Tnblos a r e included i n t h i s r o 3 o r t t o c l a r i f y t h u

(a) Tablo 1 shows tho nunbor of d o c t o r s g i v i n g eaoh r c t i n g on tho

r e l a t i v e incidoncos o f sono diauasos m o n g s t Aboriginos as comparod t o whites.

Noto t h a t l r l c o h o l i m and T.B.

or0 re-tod roughly o q L Z E S l t o tho white connunity

whoroas worn i n f ~ s t a t i o n and vonoroal dieusso n r s r c t o d higher t o nuch highor, c-nong Aboriginos.

(b) Matsrncl and Child Carer

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Aborigincl mothore do n o t , unloss on-

courngod, a t t o n d woll f o r n n t o - n a t c l c a r ~ .

I? N.S.W. Dopcrtnonf of Health

S w a y c t Wclgott rovonlod thct 21 of 25 whito mothors had regular anto-

n a t a l cmo. and

Howcivor, of 30 Aborigino nothers, only 17 had r o g u l u r car0

Et

5 had no ante-natal ccro

all.'

l?wthw,

"In tho Wostarn Hoc-lth D i s t r i o t an Aborigino c h i l d b e about a throo t i n a s g r a a t u r chance of dying bsforo i t s f i r s t b i r t h d a y t h a n an a w r q e whito c h i l d i n N.S.W. Tho i n f a n t n d r t i z l i t g r c t o for N.S.Y. For l h o r i g i n o babios t h i s figure i e &bout 20~1000l i v e b i r t h s nay be 60 or more. I n somo l o o n l i t i e s an 1Sorigino o h i l d at b i r t h

.....

has n 1 ; l O chanco, o r l00:lOOO of dying boforo i t s first birthdzy. Most o f theso dohths nro pravuntcblo." --. -..^I1 Dr. T.F. Ronnio, Nodical O f f i c o r of Hoalth, Wostmn Haclth D i s t r i c t , P u b l i c Hoalth, July 1965, 9 . 1 5 .

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_ I

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tho f w t o r thz.t accounts f o r nost o f tho d i f f s r m c o i n tho n o r t a l i t y r a t e bdtwlten whito and Aborigine c h i l d r e n i n N.S.U. i 3 infection. The i n f e c t i o n s t h c t k i l l tho young childrun are tho smm ones thEt hc.vo b w n k i l l i n g the c h i l d r e n o f tho poor f o r cdnturies.
( i ) Rosgirntory i n f a c t i o n s such as b r o n c h i t i s 2nd pnounonic.

(ii) Ga8tro-intcstinnl

and dyba n t r y
'I....

i n f u c t i o n s such as diarrhoea and vomiting

It

d e f i c i e n c i e s i n o b s t d t r i c and i n f e n t cam c a r r y over i n t o t h e pro-school c h i l d (3-5 y a a r s ) , For exmple i t was found in Wslgstt t h a t whereas 12.50 o f white c h i l d r e n i n t h i s age group had a s i g n i f icant defoct, 6 o f Aboriginal children had a dofuct; n c i n l y d i s c h m g i n g e rs, chest i n f m t i o n , skin i n f e c t i o n s and i n f a c t i o n s of tho hair."

(J

E s t i n c t e s given by doctors t o S.B.F.B.

of the jpogortaon of Abor-

i g i m l c h i l d r e n undorgoing tho f u l l courso of imunising i n j e c t i o n s v m i o d fron

i n ono town t o 8% i n anothar.

Tho d i f f o r a n c e s woro l a r g o l y

a t t r i b u t e d by tho doctors, t o canpaigns conducted by t h e l o c a l a u t h o r i t i o s .

L R E ABORIGINAL IZULTH STANDARDS DEPRESSED? (2) 'THY I

S.6.F.d,

oskod thr3 doctors t o a s s o s s tho influonco of sono f e c t o r n

2ossibly c o n t r i S u t i n g t o t h a lowaring o f standards. Ta3h ---2 show8 tht, nuiber o f doctors giving each response1

1 . Poor environnantsl hygiene

2 . Poor porsoncl hygione iiue t o : (i) ignorance o f h o a l t h principles (ii) apathy 3. Malnutrition 4. Lack of access t o nodical facilities
. ) _ U _ *

6
_ . I -

3 4

5
2

4 3

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-8s

Note the high r a t i n g for s n v i r o m a and t h o

r a t i n g for lack of

t o nodical
It would

facilities.

Most doctors s a i d t h e i r Aboriginal p . t i o n t s hardly

ever paid t h e i r b i l l s , hance troatmdnt was given with l i t t l e hope o f peymnt.

830u

t h a t oxcopt i n c e r t a i n i s o l a t e d r o s o m o s , Aboriginos a r e a t

l i t t l e disadvantage i n t h e i r a c c e s s t o nodical f a c i l i t i e s .

Dr. Ronnie a g r m s t h a t environnont i s n o s t t o blame.

Ifon

first i n s p m t i n g all kinds of ASoriginal s s t t l o n o n t s t h e e x t r e a c l y poor physical vnvironmont is a t onca aaparont.

( i ) I3o3is k h o s t a l l Aborigincss CZTOi12itdOquLhtoly housed. They mostly l i v o i n r m s h a o k l e b u i l d i n g s of tenporary aonstruction which are i n no way ndoquate. Tho b u i l d i n g s are imdoquatoly lit,

1 Ibid., 23.14-15.
2

Ibid.,

p.15.

drzinod cnd ventdlrztod, with no m i n g water, no *shing, cooking f c c i l i t i e s . A l l a r e ovmcrowdod.

laundry o r

( i i ) Sanitation. Standards c r o v u r y poor 2nd tho disposal o f p r t & t i c l l y h s r n f u l wcstos such 2s f w c o a znd p u t r i d garbago i s u s u a l l y unsatisfactory. This ie u s u a l l y drawn f r o n tho noaroet With tha oxcu2tion o f sono o f t h o l a r g d r S t a t i o n s tho wator is never tronted. As 0 1 1 r i v e r s i n N.S.??. aro p o l l u t e d , it f o l l o w s t h a t pollutod wntor i s usod f o r drinking. During t i n e s of drought dcngors t o h o a l t h a r c considorzbly incrozaud.
--I--.

source, mostly the r i v u r .

( i i i ) Drinkin& --Watar.

d l i x . Thc knowlcdgo of t h e Aborigine zbout f o o C (iv). Food H a n hygiono is oven worse thnn t h a t of thc morogo Austr21ian.ttl
. e -

(a)-&i%FaA.

SUPPORTS thG view t h z t goor d u c a t i o n moans poor knowlodgo

3f

tha priiiciplos of hggiono,

For oxanplo

tho i d u s t h c t micro-orgo4nisns FZlrthar, 13-

cause i n f u o t i o n oannot be c r r i v e d a t by unaidod connonsonse.

ori-@nos as a group a m s o c i a l l y dspreesod, and as individuals, mzny a r o

dospiring. i n society;
T h o i r o l d c u l t u r o is destroyed;

they havo no foal foothold

no secwo bcsis on which t o build a s 2 i r n t i o n s f o r a battclr l i f o .

Without motivction, psrsonsl circumstsncos

- i n odumtion,

mgloynirnt and

hoalth

- will

not improve.

The intar-dependence of health w i t h s o c i a l , oco-

nonic and oducstionzl conditions doncnds recognition t h c t i n p o v a m n t i n m t h e p a r a l l o l dcvolo2mont of a l l . oach sphdre i s dependent c

( ~ ~ C O M M ~ I ~ I N D FOR ~ L TPOLICY. I~S

(a)

Ificreasod and substantifL1 a i d t o roduco tho a p p l l i n g honlth ha5-

zrda on oxisting rosorvosg

nore honos t o roduc6 ovsrcrowding, and f o c i l i t i c s

running, non-pollutod water i n oach

f o r tho d i s p o s a l of f a c e s and gcrbagog hone

(b)

,in i n t o n s i v s and concontrsted progranno of h e a l t h oducation by

t r a i n e d and oxporiencod honlth educators, such ss Public H o a l t h Nursos, and Baby Hoalth Contro S i s t o r s . Trainod Mcdicol S o c i a l Vorkcrs, i n thu f i r a t

instanco, by bding on hand t o h d l p t h o Lboriginos solvo t h e i r vory grossing h e c l t h problons, can win tha confidonco cbnd respoct o f tho Aboriginal connuni t y i n which they work, and noar which thay should l i v o , i f a t r ; l l p s s i b l o . This would bd c new approach t o tho policy of assimilation. Tho cnntiidatcs

f o r suoh a courso could be sought from t h o Dojprtnant o f Sociol Bork a t

Sydney Univoreity.

O b s a v a t l o n o f t h e work of tha Baby Hoalth Contre S i s t d

fOllOWQd

a t Wollington, which
and non-dirwtivo,

th6 s o c i a l workers approach o f hone v i s i t a ,

non-judgmontal advico End holp, convincod noubors o f

3.k.F.k.

that t h i s m e o w r y positivo stop to ovmooming distrust of

tho whito oonnuity i n gonercrl, and whito 3oople in ?artioular.

(0)

Invoetigation of %hooffeote of nonborship o f

dopresaod group

on n o t f v a t i o n t o inprove h a l t h standards, a d of the poeeiblo nocne of

increasing this notivntion.