Health Care for Indigenous Communities

Most recently, two seats have been created at McGill University, Faculty of Medicine, whereby a First Nations beneficiary of Quebec can apply to study medicine, but there are an annual total of up to four seats designated for such applicants from the four faculties of medicine in Quebec.   Scholarship, mentoring and support are provided for students applying to the program on both sides of the debate, firstly by the First Nations House at McGill and the Faculties of Medicine of Quebec. (2)  

Image source: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/40752.html

The Quebec First Nations and Inuit Faculties of Medicine Program admissions requirement is not as rigid as the other categories of applicants; there are special notes attached to the academic history of applicants coming from the school system of the indigenous population.  However, applicants have to be able to meet the academic skills required and withstand the rigors of a medical curriculum.  This program enables students within the aboriginal community to strive for excellence to obtain their academic goals.  Information available on the Office of Admissions website of the Faculty of Medicine, McGill University shows some of the services that are available for students applying to the medical program to become doctors. (3)   

Reaching Out

Strong support systems are in place to reach out to students in the secondary school system to instill a desire for higher education.  Tours and special events to stimulate teens to look ahead and go beyond what they see in the reserves in which they live.  There is a First Nations Day event where native students can visit the Simulation Centre of McGill for a hands-on approach and briefing of how the centre operates, thus exposing the students from a young age to maximize their potential.  

The drop-out rate of high school students within the community of native peoples is very high, therefore to instill a desire to stay in school and not fall prey to the norms that have been accepted by the majority of the constituents of the community, the Faculty of Medicine has partnered with the First Peoples House, native community members of the Faculty of McGill, Bursary programs  to encourage, motivate and support native students in the medical field of studies to accomplish their goals .  (4)


Achieving Health Care through Philanthropy

Achieving health care through philanthropy for native physicians can be seen more and more as the community and donors partner to train physicians who are from the aboriginal community, so that they will return to their people wherever home is to them. (5) The present state of health care needs massive improvements.  The situation is appalling, in that health care is not readily accessible for First Nations and Inuit populations have to leave their homes and travel long distances to seek health care.  This in itself is costly to the beneficiary and the government.  

The average income of a native individual is approximately 16 thousand dollars.  The James Bay project and the Northern Quebec Agreement in 1975 was the beginning of the Cree Board of Health and Social Services under the Quebec Ministry of Health. Their forefathers lived in Northern Quebec for many years before the Colonizers from Europe arrived in their territory with infectious diseases and created a health-care structure that ousted their traditional medicinal practices to the background.   

The way that health care services were practiced varied tremendously for the James Bay Cree of Quebec, it can be traced to their holistic, cultural and social history and their surroundings.  Several changes have resulted in the Cree villages since the past 15 years, both in the socio-economic situation and the health welfare of the Cree.  

The Future State

Improvements in the health of the Native people will only take place when there is more involvement of Native people in the deliverance, autonomy and accessibility of health services that promote and foster an atmosphere that is equitable. 



Suicide is one of main cause of death in Canada but it is very high amongst teens in the native communities in Northern Quebec and in the Inuit regions.  

Statistics available in 1987 indicate that the population is young showing that 4.1 % of these people are either 65 or over, in comparison to Canadians statistics of 9.7% of all Canadians, but the 1981 census showed that 2690 Cree (31.3%) are between 10 and 19 years of age.(6)



http://www.flickr.com/photos/49503209319@N01/30392733/

National health data for Inuit indicates the following and provides a rough sketch of the Canadian Inuit health in comparison to other Canadians.



• Life expectancy is lower than the average Canadian by about 16 years


• Accidents resulting in deaths in two of the largest Inuit regions are approximately three times that of the Canadian average

• Suicide rates shows is six times greater than the national average

.
• Ninety percent of the population is reachable only by air.  



Even though there have been some established services by the Federal and Provincial governments, there is still a lot left to be done.  Certain areas such as Inuvialuit, Iqaluit, and Rankin Inlet have health care services.  For example, there is a hospital in Iqaluit and birthing centre in Rankin Inlet.  Inuit do not have access to many programs and services taken for granted by southern Canadians. Such as, the health care system does not embody their culture, language and values.

Inuit embodies a strong tradition of healing and wellness practices and those they have maintained their traditional language. For example, herbal medicinal treatments, alternative medicine, consulting with a shaman within their community despite the high usage of Inuktitut in the North, English and French are used predominantly. 

No regions require health care workers to speak Inuktitut but some have developed some documentation to give to non-Inuit staff some awareness of commonly used medical phrases and terms.  The human resource capacity for health care workers can be improved by developing Inuit capacity for planning, administrative, supervision and delivery of service.  Transitional arrangements, policy change, training and improvements in the education system are needed to attract young Inuit to health care fields.  (6)



Implications for the future Health care requires a great deal of effort by all parties, those in decision making roles as well as those on the receiving end of the Indigenous population.  Partnering side by side is essential for the goals at hand.  

Opposition to health care outreach 

Provisions to accommodate the issues at hand do not go without opposition.  To the Indigenous people of Canada, health care has always been a highly political issue.  In particular, the Indian people have depended on a "Medicine Chest Clause".  It can be construed to mean that medical services would be provided on a need to basis.  The Medical Health Insurance Plan which was initiated in Saskatchewan in 1967-1968 and   in which the average Canadian has enjoyed its benefits has been envied by most developed and developing countries.  However, there has always been opposition to treaties that were made to provide health care to the Indigenous populations of Canada.  

(7) 

There have been many diseases that has rampaged the Indian communities for a long time but slowly trends are improving and diseases are being eradicated from the full-blown situation of tuberculosis and diabetes.  Although diabetes is still one of the number one diseases that is plaguing the community, Indian leaders have during the last two decades been instrumental in orchestrating improvement of the status of their people.  For example, Indian reserves in Canada now have their own government structure, which consists of a chief, a band council, and an administrator who is responsible for the corporate affairs of the community. At the band level, health issues are not a priority.  However, because health issues can lead to crises, such as epidemics, violence related to alcohol or drug abuse, or medical emergencies, it can quickly become a hot political issue.  This can be seen when an elderly women was severely burned when she tried to light the kerosene stove, but instead of filling it with kerosene, she filled with gasoline and this is when the issue of medical treatment for the Indigenous population became known in every household in Canada.  

(8)



In the Star, it indicates that Canada voted against the UN Aboriginal declaration but it was passed unanimously by the UN.  Aboriginal leaders, human rights groups and the opposition blasted the Conservative government today after Canada voted against a United Nations declaration on aboriginal rights. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said in a statement that, "By opposing this declaration the Conservative government has signaled to aboriginal Canadians that their rights aren't worth defending," Representative for Canada on the other hand, spoke out to this attack and said that they wanted to participate with hands-on initiatives and not just on an agreement in paper.(9)



In a CBC broadcast opposition to a project for Inuit was aired and the issue of providing housing for Inuit beneficiaries coming to Montreal for treatment faces strong opposition.  A study is underway by the provincial health and social services to open a 150 bed facility in an abandoned building which used to be the Chinese hospital.  The facility is intended to provide temporary housing for the Inuit population travelling to Montreal from the northern Quebec territory of Nunavik.  However, Jeannie May, executive director of the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, told CBC News on Thursday:  "They had put out flyers around the building the other day, saying that their community is at risk or in danger because of this group of people trying to locate to their area,"   

The mayor of the area has also voiced opposition to the project because she claims that there may some form of incivility happening when people are out of their own environment.  She claims that the housing should be built closer to the English speaking hospitals where the Indigenous people receive treatment for their ailments. (7)



References:


 1.   Northern Ontario School of Medicine. "Aboriginal community".  October 21, Web. October 24, 2010.
 2.   "Welcome to First People's House".  McGill University.  October 12. Web. October 27 

 3.  http://www.mcgill.ca/medadmissions/what-are-we-looking/academics-first-nationsinuit-non-traditional

4. http://www.medicalfoundation.ca/page/en/aboriginal_bursary)

 5. http://www.naho.ca/inuit/english/documents/SuicideBackgrounder_000.pdf

6. http://www.aboriginalroundtable.ca/sect/hlth/bckpr/ITK_BgPaper_e.pdf

7. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/06/03/villeray-inuit-transit-house.html#ixzz13J0kQrS1.  June 3, 2010. October 24, 2010.

8.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Camp+stove+tragedy+sparks+Nunavik+health+debate.-a030217195

9.      http://www.thestar.com/news/article/256372