Aboriginal Health Care

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The mainspring of medicine, be it Western or Aboriginal, is caring for the well-being of others. The very ethics of caregiving thrives upon beneficence. Derived from the Latin word “bene” (meaning “good”), beneficence is defined as promoting the patient’s good or welfare. The nursing knowledge and skills that health care professionals apply must ensure that beneficence comply with maleficence – that which pertains to the non-infliction of harm. This practice takes the form of removing or preventing harm while simultaneously producing or creating good. Though simple in principle it may seem, ensuring that beneficence and maleficence are continually applied to health care, can be quite complex. According to Burkhardt et al. (2014), “Even with …show more content…

By examining the case of a First Nations family who refused chemotherapy treatment for their 11 year-old daughter, JJ, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), one can determine how far traditional and cultural definitions of health should play a role in the well-being of another person. By showing that the benefits of chemotherapy outweigh the risks, that Aboriginal traditional practices can no longer apply in a post-colonial era, that Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution does not apply to modern-day medical diseases, I will deontologically determine that health care providers must sometimes enforce medical care - a concept, which at its very core, would appear to be maleficent, though in this case, is …show more content…

This includes self-government, involvement in land claims, and tribal band control of education, cultural facilities, fire and police services and lastly health services. As a result of European colonialism, many Aboriginal cultures were disseminated and forced onto reservations. Today, communities that have all seven ‘cultural continuity’ factors intact are markers for healthy communities. However, the involvement of Aboriginal people in contemporary institutions such as formal school systems or municipal government can hardly be viewed as cultural traditionalism. ‘Local control’ would be a more fitting and accurate term as this reflects cultural adaptability rather than the maintenance of tradition. Aboriginal peoples today are engaged in an “ongoing process of re-articulating themselves in the modern world in ways that honour their ancestors, maintain links with crucial values, and creatively respond to the exigencies of a world simultaneously woven together by electronic media and riven by conflicts of culture and value.” As such, JJ’s diagnosis of ALL, cannot possibly be treated with traditional Mohawk therapies. JJ is diagnosed with a modern disease requiring modern treatment. While it is commendable that her family wishes to maintain their cultural traditions, they are unknowingly measuring their self-worth in terms of one of the seven ‘cultural continuity’ factors. In reality, they are

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