Blame Canada’s history for low rates of cancer screening among Indigenous women, doctor says – CBC

Mar 12, 2018

A B.C. doctor says the colonial history of Canada’s health care system is preventing Indigenous women from being screened for cervical cancer and she hopes a solution can be found in a health initiative in East Africa.

Indigenous women in B.C. are 92 per cent more likely to develop cervical cancer than non-Indigenous women, according to a joint study from the B.C. Cancer Agency and First Nations Health Authority. The same study also found lower survival rates for Indigenous people with cancer.

Part of that disparity can be explained by the colonial history of healthcare in Canada said Dr. Sheona Mitchell-Foster, an obstetrician-gynecologist and assistant professor in the University of British Columbia’s Northern Medical Program in Prince George.

Read More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/indigenous-health-care-bc-1.4573195