Access to health services among culturally and linguistically diverse populations in the Australian universal health care system: issues and challenges

People from CALD backgrounds have multiple interacting social factors and diseases, low access to health services, and face challenges in the multilevel health and social systems. Health systems and services need to focus on treating multimorbidity through culturally appropriate health interventions that can effectively prevent and control diseases. Existing health services can be strengthened by ensuring multilingual health resources and onsite interpreters. Addressing structural challenges needs a holistic policy intervention such as improving social determinants of health (e.g., improving living and working conditions and reducing socioeconomic disparities) of CALD populations, which requires a high level political commitment.