Indian Health Service
The Indian Health Service (IHS) is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The IHS provides medical care for the indigenous people in the Indian reservations and in Alaska . The IHS was originally subordinate to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), a division of the Interior Ministry. The BIA and thus the IHS was founded as a department of the Ministry of Defense. In 1855 the BIA was subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior, in 1955 the IHS was subordinated to the HHS. See Transfer Act (1954) . The IHS is active in 36 states and operates hospitals and clinics. In addition to the IHS, tribal governments also operate their own health facilities in the reserves, which are funded by the IHS. The IHS serves approximately 2.2 million members of one of the 567 federally recognized tribes and operates 19 hospitals, 284 health centers, 79 health stations and 163 village clinics in Alaska. The IHS employs 2,648 nurses, 725 doctors, 698 pharmacists and 272 dentists. In 2017, the budget was nearly $ 6 billion.
history
After the formation of the United States, the Department of Defense, and later the Department of the Interior, signed a large number of treaties with the Indian tribes. Most of the time, the tribes ceded considerable areas of their territory to the United States. These contracts were negotiated by Indian agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and ratified by Congress . In addition to payments, the contracts often included free health care, home programs, grocery deliveries, and other services that the United States had to provide to the tribes, often for all time. Normally a contract contained the following clause: “promise of all proper care and protection in exchange for tribal land and natural resources”. "Promise of all appropriate care and protection in exchange for tribal land and natural resources." These agreements still apply today, which oblige the United States to provide free health services to the recognized tribes and indigenous people. The tribes often insist on adhering to these contracts.
Web links
References and comments
- ↑ usa.gov Indian Health Service
- ^ Indian Health Service Transfer Act PDF
- ↑ "that all functions, responsibilities, authorities, and duties ... relating to the maintenance and operation of hospital and health facilities for Indians, and the conservation of Indian health ... shall be administered by the Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service."
- ↑ IHS quicklook
- ↑ US National Library of Medicine: "Services provided to AI / AN persons (eg, housing, education, health care) have been guaranteed through treaties, executive orders, and other legal bases"
- ^ US National Library of Medicine: American Indian Health Policy Historical Trends and Contemporary Issues. "The United States has a trust responsibility to provide services to American Indians and Alaska Native (AI / AN) persons."