Alston Margaret
Centre for Rural Social Research, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.
Health Soc Care Community. 2007 May;15(3):195-202. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2524.2007.00696.x.
The impacts of globalisation and rural restructuring on health service delivery in rural Australia have been significant. In the present paper, it is argued that declining health service access represents a failure of policy. Rural communities across the world are in a state of flux, and Australia is no different: rural communities are ageing at faster rates than urban communities and young people are out-migrating in large numbers. During the past 5 years, rural Australia has also experienced a severe and widespread drought that has exacerbated rural poverty, and impacted on the health and well-being of rural Australians. Australian governments have responded to globalising forces by introducing neoliberal policy initiatives favouring market solutions and championing the need for self-reliance among citizens. The result for rural Australia has been a withdrawal of services at a time of increased need. This paper addresses the social work response to these changes.
全球化和农村结构调整对澳大利亚农村地区医疗服务提供产生了重大影响。本文认为，医疗服务可及性下降是政策失败的表现。世界各地的农村社区都在不断变化，澳大利亚也不例外：农村社区老龄化速度快于城市社区，大量年轻人向外迁移。在过去五年里，澳大利亚农村地区还经历了严重且广泛的干旱，这加剧了农村贫困，并对澳大利亚农村居民的健康和福祉产生了影响。澳大利亚政府通过推行有利于市场解决方案的新自由主义政策举措以及倡导公民自力更生的必要性来应对全球化力量。对澳大利亚农村地区而言，结果是在需求增加之时服务却被撤回。本文探讨了社会工作对这些变化的应对措施。
