Health Problems on an Indian Reservations

Drawing on the same article, I would like to present some information about health problems on Indian Reservations.

Indian Health Service is responsible for providing medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives. It is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for Indian people, and its goal is to raise their health status to the highest possible level. The truth is that about 55 % of Indians rely on IHS, however, in accordance with the article, only 60% of their health needs are encountered in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

There is a wide gap in adequate and preventative health care on Indian reservations because of the crisis that touched Indian Health Service due to lack of funding. Moreover, the presence of such diseases like diabetes, heart disease, tuberculosis or even cancer are common between Native Americans being a result of switching to the West lifestyle.

Statistics(according to this article):

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for American Indians (2003, Center for Disease Control).

• Due to the link between heart disease, diabetes, poverty, and quality of nutrition and health care, 36% of Natives with heart disease will die before age 65 compared to 15% of Caucasians (2001, HHS Office of Minority Health).
• American Indians are 177% more likely to die from diabetes (2011, Indian Health Disparities).
• 500% are more likely to die from tuberculosis (2011, Indian Health Disparities).
• 82% are more likely to die from suicide (2011, Indian Health Disparities).
• Cancer rates and disparities related to cancer treatment are higher than for other Americans (2005, Native People for Cancer Control).
• Infant death rates are 60% higher than for Caucasians (2001, HHS Office of Minority Health)

All in all, it seems that health problems are vast on Indian reservations. Additionally, the issue of potential health risk increases because of the lack of utilities, especially in rural and remote areas suffering from the lack of accessible healthcare.