So what is being done to help Aboriginal Peoples? In 2007, then Prime Minister of Australia John Howard introduced a series of measures known as the ‘Intervention’ to support Aboriginal communities. They were seen as emergency measures to try and curb the excessive use of alcohol (Martin, 2012, 505). In more recent times an organisation called Reach Out has been started to help people cope with their addiction to alcohol or any other addiction that they are facing. This will be an enormous help to them as it will provide them with tools they can use to help not only themselves but also a loved one who may be going through hard times. It provides its services free and anonymous so that individuals are more comfortable with sharing their circumstances and reaching out for help.

 

In addition to this service, other organisations such as Bridging the Gap Foundation run programs that are targeted specifically to Indigenous Health. They prove opportunities to raise awareness as well as providing confidential services to their clients.

 

Moving back to look at the Solomon Islands, the good news is that there is work being done to curb the occurrences of domestic violence. An Australian aid program, the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development program, is working with the Family Support Organisation (FSO) in Gizo which is located in the Solomon Islands Western Province. It is a non-governmental organisation that has been established to raise awareness of this issue of gender-based violence in addition to supporting women and girls who have escaped violent relationships. The FSO is comprised of  representatives from women’s church groups, youth networks and local government agencies. It also has support from the UN Women which is located in its capital Honiara.

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In Cambodia, USAID has provided resources to help combat the maternal mortality rate by educating midwives and healthcare professionals. Through this and other programs such as obstetrics care and postpartum care, as well as updating the facilities, they have managed to raise skilled deliveries form 32 percent to 71 percent, in increase on what they were before (The Borgen Project, 2019). 

 

Cambodia has also put in place policies and programmes to help improve the standard of deliveries and postnatal care. Systems focus on policies and programs such as improving finance for healthcare and the health workforce as well as the use of data for racking progress.

 

Other initiatives include the expansion of three health care financing schemes: performance based financing, health equity funds and vouchers (WHO, 2015).

 

Due to the current worldwide epidemic of Covid-19 South Korea, like many other countries, has seen a dramatic rise in cases of mental health illnesses and mental health challenges. Due to this reason, the South Korean Government has adapted mental health policies to help people cope with the pandemic. The Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) distributed promotional leaflets and information packages to relieve anxiety of Koreans. They also started a website dedicated to making information about COVID-19 relatable to the public and it was written a way that they could understand (Park and Yu, 2020, 280). There is also a ‘Stress Management and Mental Health Promotion and Online Education Program’ that has been started by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education that is aimed at student groups. This allows students to have access to age appropriate programs to help them cope with stress (Park and Yu, 2020, 280).

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