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Change Aboriginal habits

Your article about the shortage of Aboriginal medical services and the need for the government to provide more doctors ("Aborigine health issues need work, group says," Nov. 27, page 2) was welcome. Indeed, such a plea has been made by Aborigi-nal people for decades, particularly in the last decade when there was an increase in the number of Aboriginal legisla-tors. However, the perception that Aboriginal people can improve their health just by having more medical services is false.

The fact is that many people living in Aboriginal townships have been shown to lead unhealthy lifestyles. Data published this year shows that 25 percent of Aboriginal men drink alcohol on a daily basis, compared to 4 percent of the total male population.

Fifty-five percent of Aboriginal people smoke and 41 percent chew betel nut, compared to 47 percent and 19 percent respectively in the general population. In addition, Aboriginal people were found to be heavier than other Taiwanese.

These factors have been shown to markedly increase mortality by cirrhosis of the liver (for Aboriginal men, 5.1 times greater risk than the total population of men), lung disease (5.3 times greater for tuberculosis and 2.2 times greater for other respiratory diseases), and accidents (3.2 times greater).

These were the main reasons for the wide gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal people and the rest of the population. With the advent of the National Health Insurance Program and government improvement of medical services, the number of outpatient visits made by Aboriginal people and the rate of hospitalization have both overtaken those of non-Aboriginal people.

On average, Aboriginal people consulted doctors 13 times a year in contrast to 12 for the total population, and the hospital admission rate for Aboriginal people was 228 per 1,000 people compared to the national average of 118.

In other words, the life expectancy gap is not due to a lack of medical resources -- it is largely a result of poor habits.

What Aboriginal people most need from us is help and support to change unhealthy lifestyles. If we can work with Aboriginal people to stop them drinking, smoking and chewing betel nut and encourage more exercise and maintaining a suitable weight, then their overall health will improve much more than if we just pumped more medical resources into their communities.

Cheng Ting-yuan
National Health Research Institutes

Taipei

Don't rely on the US

Too bad Taiwan does not have large oil reserves. Then our appointed President George W. Bush might actually care about you. Our government does not care about democracy. In the US we confuse a republic with a democracy. Our government is a plutocracy run by multinational corporations. If you want the US administration to care about you, better start bribing the elected leaders in the Senate and House with campaign pledges. That is what all the corporations have learned to do.

Some people in the US actually care about Taiwan but we have no input in national affairs. Our government does not listen to the people. Ironically, our founding fathers put a provision in the Constitution so we can remove the government once it no longer serves the people. Good luck to us citizens fighting the most well-funded military on the planet. Until our own military leaders start upholding their pledge to defend the Constitution, instead of supporting the administration in power, you need not look to the US for help.

I wish you well, Taiwan: You looked toward the US to help you attain freedom. It is obvious to all the world, except our uninterested citizens, that we do not support democracy unless it creates a big payoff for ourselves. I apologize.

Charles Springer
Anchorage, Alaska
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