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Common Health Concern of Afghani Refugees

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Common Health Concern of Afghani Refugees

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Afghanistan is the 15th least developed country in the world with high rates of infectious diseases and malnutrition (Pour et al., 2014). Afghan refugees who arrived in Australia completed a refugee health assessment. Routine screening for malaria and Vitamin B12 was done and it was found that there was widespread Vitamin B12 deficiency among children and adolescents (Paxton et al., 2024).   0-14 years old have 34.9% and 21.8% of 15-29 years old have low Vitamin B12 levels (Benson et al., 2013). A suggested full blood examination, B12, and screening among new arrivals. When screening is complete, and B12 is full, stop the supplement and repeat in 3-6 months. Complete serum homocysteine and urine methylmalonic acid if the level is still low (Paxton et al., 2024).

Reference:

Benson, J., Phillips, C., Kay, M., Webber, M. T., Ratcliff, A. J., Correa-Velez, I., & Lorimer, M. F. (2013, February 28). Low vitamin B12 levels among newly-arrived refugees from Bhutan, Iran and Afghanistan: a multicentre Australian study. https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/

Paxton, G., & Schaefer, J. (2024, January). Immigrant health service : Afghan refugees - key issues. The Royal Children's Hospital : The Royal Children's Hospital. https://www.rch.org.au/immigranthealth/clinical/Afghan_refugees_-_key_issues/

Pour, M. S., Basnayake, S. K., Hanieh, S., & Biggs, B. (2014, September). Prevalence of dyslipidaemia and micronutrient deficiencies among newly arrived Afghan refugees in rural Australia: A cross-sectional study. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265212391_Prevalence_of_dyslipidaemia_and_micronutrient_deficiencies_among_newly_arrived_Afghan_refugees_in_rural_Australia_A_cross-sectional_study

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Buzkashi is the traditional sport in Afghanistan. It began between the 10th and 15th century during the migration of Nomadic Asian Tribes. The game aims to place a goat’s carcass in a goal while riding a horse (Kevmrc, 2023). Nowadays, cricket and football are the most popular sports in Afghanistan. Cricket was played in the 19th century during the British colonialism. In 2015, they made their appearance in the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand. Cricket has helped bring unity to the population (Farrell, 2021). Khurasan Lions is the country’s national football team, founded in 1922. The team joined FIFA in 1948 (Kiprop, 2018).

Reference:

Farrell, M. (2021) What the Taliban's takeover means for Afghanistan cricket and women's athletes | Sporting news. (2021, September 21). Sporting News - NFL | NBA | MLB | NCAA | Boxing | Soccer | NASCAR. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/athletics/news/what-the-talibans-takeover-means-for-afghanistan-cricket-and-women-athletes/1ti835hkdd8581vfgi7vuwxv1l

Kevmrc. (2023, November 7). Afghanistan sports - The most popular sports in Afghanistan - Kevmrc. https://www.kevmrc.com/most-popular-sports-in-afghanistan

Kiprop, J. (2018, April 25). The culture and customs of Afghanistan. WorldAtlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/important-aspects-of-the-culture-of-afghanistan.html

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The national dance of Afghanistan is called Attan. It originated as a traditional folk dance of Afghan Pashtun tribes and is performed at the start of every war to motivate warriors to fight fiercely (Harris, 2023). The dance is usually performed with Dohol—a double-headed barrel drum. It can be performed in 5 – 30 minutes long (Wikipedia, 2024). Dancers wear traditional regalia when dancing. Men wear a thick wool hat known as a pakol and a wool vest called waskata. Women wear brightly colored dresses, often adorned with tiny mirrors that symbolize light (Bayat, 2017).

Reference:

Attan. (2024, July 17). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attan

Bayat, E. (2017, November 22). A look at the fascinating world of traditional Afghan dance. Ehsan Bayat Afghan Wireless. https://ehsanbayatafghanwireless.com/look-fascinating-world-traditional-afghan-dance/

Harris, C. (2023, April 8). Attan dance: History, styles, attires, music & more. City Dance Studios. https://citydance.org/attan-dance-history-styles-attires-music-more/

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The country of Afghanistan is linguistically diverse and consists of more than 40 distinct languages. It has two official languages, Pashto and Dari, both Indo-European (Ali & Weinbaum, 2024). Pashto is an ancient language, like Persian and Vedic Sanskrit. At least 60% of the population speak Pashto. Dari on the other hand is known as Farsi or Afghan Persian. It is considered the trade language of the country. Approximately 49% of the population speak Dari (Pariona, 2017). Other languages include Turkic languages which Uzbek and Turkmen used, Balochi, Payashi, Nuristani, and Paniri. Bilingualism is very common in Afghanistan (Mcknight, 2024).

Reference:

Ali, M., & Weinbaum, M. G. (1999, July 26). Afghanistan - Dari, Pashto, Turkic. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Afghanistan/Languages

Mcknight, D. (2024, May 17). The many languages of Afghanistan: A complex linguistic landscape. ShunCulture. https://shunculture.com/article/what-is-spoken-in-afghanistan

Pariona, A. (2016, October 19). What languages are spoken in Afghanistan? WorldAtlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-afghanistan.html

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After years of war and an unstable political system, Afghanistan is struggling with its healthcare system. Many people have suffered poor health for decades (Burnkam, 2020). Medical facilities do not exist in rural areas. Mosque leaders whom they call Mullahs perform “dam rituals”, blowing of breath while reciting prayers. They write healing prayers on paper called “ta’wiz” (Grima, 2022). They strongly rely on herbal treatments as they are more accessible and affordable. Herbal medicine is known as “Greek Treatment”, from the invasion of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, in 330 BC (Waziri, 2017). Saffron, cumin, coriander, licorice root, olive, and garlic are among the common plants they use for treatment.

Reference:

Burnham, G. (2020, March 21). Peace and Health in Afghanistan. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30643-7/fulltext#%20

Grima, B. (2002, November). Women, culture, and health in rural Afghanistan. Expedition Magazine. https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/women-culture-and-health-in-rural-afghanistan/

Waziri, G. G. (2017, September 30). Historic herbal medicine remains popular in Afghanistan. Berita Terkini, Independen, Terpercaya | KBR ID. https://kbr.id/berita/nasional/historic_herbal_medicine_remains_popular_in

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Since 2013, more than 23,000 Afghans have arrived in Australia to escape the Taliban war (Refugee Council of Australia, 2023).  Many of these refugees often experience discrimination and unemployment. Language barriers and lack of recognition of their previous qualifications are some of the factors that contribute to unemployment. “Many participants faced problems finding employment in their chosen fields or having their overseas qualifications recognized” (Rezaei et al., 2021).  The author stated, “The immediate need to focus on learning English and understanding a new job market also delayed getting a job” (Hughes et al., 2021).  This leads to financial insecurity making it difficult to afford basic needs and healthcare.

Reference:

Australia’s treatment of Afghan refugees. (2023, May 19). Refugee Council of Australia. https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/australias-treatment-of-afghan-refugees-how-their-date-and-mode-of-arrival-matters-more-than-their-persecution/

Hughes, S., Collins, J., Reid, C., Groutsis, D., & Watson, K. (2021, August 26). We studied Afghan refugees for 3 years to find out what life is like for them in Australia. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/we-studied-afghan-refugees-for-3-years-to-find-out-what-life-is-like-for-them-in-australia-166498

Rezaei, O., Adibi, H., & Banham, V. (2021, October 8). Afghan refugees face discrimination, employment and social challenges in Australia. Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and Technology. https://phys.org/news/2021-12-afghan-refugees-discrimination-employment-social.html

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The most significant aspect of Competency Standard 1.2 is that Clinicians should acknowledge the trauma experienced by the refugees and should consider this in delivering healthcare. Upon reading, I have improved my understanding of care by not only recognizing their trauma but also treating them as a whole person whose well-being and health resulted from their life experiences. Having learned from this aspect, I now feel more committed to providing clinically effective care and understanding and respecting an individual’s unique journey. This skill is essential to me to provide holistic care and support them in their healing and recovery.