Close the gap between Indigenous health outcomes and the rest of Canada – CBC

Years of limited funding means Indigenous health data-deficient, low-tech compared to provincial medicare

Mar 19, 2018

In 2016, I stood with three Indigenous political organizations — Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations — to compete in the Great Healthcare Debate, a national competition held during the HealthcareCAN National Health Leadership Conference.

Delegates and presenters included CEOs, health boards, ministers and other decision-makers; competitors had a chance to become the top issue for delegates and their organizations to address the following year.

At the time, each of the Indigenous organizations was experiencing their own disparate health crises. Overwhelmed and under-resourced, their frustration was palpable. Among the 50 or so ideas that were presented at the debate competition, ours was the only one that spoke to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action for health. Reconciliation had yet to make its way into health decision-making circles and there wasn’t much optimism from anyone that transforming Indigenous health was an achievable task.

Read More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/opinion-indigenous-health-alika-lafontaine-1.4547798