Unequal treatment: First Nations woman denied medical coverage readily available to non-Aboriginals – CBC
May 29, 2017
Doctor says Indigenous children in Alberta being singled out, putting them at ‘an extreme disadvantage’
A woman from Alberta has been denied coverage for dental implants to fill gaps in her mouth resulting from a cleft palate, something her doctor says is the result of her being First Nations.
“I think everyone deserves the same treatment no matter what,” said Summer Dawn White Eagle, who was born with a cleft lip and palate more than 20 years ago on the Siksika First Nation east of Calgary.
Children born with cleft palates in Alberta are referred to the Pediatric Cleft Palate Clinic at either the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary or the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.
