The long road to achieving acceptable healthcare
The Indigenous people of Canada have gone through many rough patches due to our history of colonialism, racism, residential schools, and in this case, the social determinants of health. Many Indigenous individuals, especially Indigenous women, receive inadequate healthcare, which significantly impacts diseases and their recovery process.
A few platforms have been established to help Indigenous communities and provide them with emotional and physical support during recovery from diseases. Organizations such as the Canadian Nurses Association and the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association provide ongoing support for men and women suffering from the injustice of the healthcare system, and promoting the development and practice of Indigenous health nursing.
The negligence of Indigenous women’s health began in late 1800s to early 1900s. Type 2 diabetes became twice as prevalent in Indigenous people than in non-Indigenous people, but Indigenous people were not given proper treatment.
As mental illness became less taboo, Indigenous women were suffering from mental health problems and never sought out any medical attention for these issues because it was never encouraged by them to seek help. This resulted in a tragic amount of suicides among Indigenous women. Indigenous women now have a suicide rate of 35 per 100,000, seven times that of the general population.
Another major healthcare scandal for Indigenous women pertains to sterilization. Sterilization was forced on women of Indigenous descent, and practiced even after Canada repealed most vigorous sexual sterilization laws in 1972. The latest cases are as recent as 2017, involving women who allege their fallopian tubes were tied without consent and were encouraged by doctors who told them it was reversible. After giving birth, these women were told they wouldn’t be able to see their child until they agreed to have their tubes tied or cauterized.
Currently, if Indigenous women still hold their treaty status, they are not benefited under the Ontario drug plan. Women with treaty status require additional processes for their prescriptions that most doctors are not aware of and that pharmacies will not provide otherwise.
Healthcare is a basic need that is accessible to nearly all Canadians and is something we take for granted. It is important to recognize that many people are still without acceptable healthcare services and are left to suffer in silence.