The health of indigenous people in the Arctic remains one of the most urgent issues facing the world's circumpolar nations. Rates of everything from communicable diseases to suicide remain several times higher than in the South resulting in lower life expectancy.
Climate change has pushed resource development and sovereignty in the Arctic to the forefront of international debate. Many experts and social scientists hope this increased focus on the North will push the Arctic health crisis higher on the agenda.
Over the next three months, Eye on the Arctic journalists and media partners from across the circumpolar world will bring you audio, video and print stories focused on health and well-being in the North.
(May 2011) PART I: OUR SYSTEMS
- Focused on the general state of Arctic health. We kick off today with contributions from Canadian, Swedish and Alaskan journalists.
Bridging the cultural divide in Arctic nursing
CANADA: Nurses are on the frontlines of health care in Canada's remote Arctic regions. Often working in isolated nursing stations, these health care professionals are part nurse, part emergency room doctor, part counsellor, part social worker and part mid-wife.
The Sami Health Paradox
SWEDEN: Sami are the healthiest indigenous population in the Arctic. But has this come at a cost to their culture?
Alaska's go-it-alone health reform strategy
The U.S. government will establish a health care exchange in Alaska if the state does not have one in place by 2013 as mandated under the new federal reform law. Gov. Sean Parnell said the state is pursuing other health care initiatives.
Income inequality causes health inequality
Socioeconomic factors are increasingly affecting Arctic health and life expectancy. The life expectancy of low-income groups has not risen since the 1990s. Differences in health have risen strongly in the last 25 years, particularly in terms of life expectancy for people in different income bands.
Comments, contributions, and debate about the series are welcomed. Email Alaska Dispatch at editor@alaskadispatch.com or directly email Eye on the Arctic at arctic@cbc.ca
This story is posted on Alaska Dispatch as part of Eye on the Arctic, a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organizations.