Petition demands better access to healthcare for Indigenous infants in northern communities

BY PAUL JUNOR

The state of health of Indigenous infants in Northern communities in Canada has been of great concern. In order to address this crisis, a petition titled, “Justice for Northern Indigenous Infants: Demanding Equal Access to Life-Changing Health” was launched by Ashley Shaw along with a group of Ontario nursing students. As of Wednesday, March 22^nd, 2023, it had garnered 55 signatures out of an expected 100.

Canada must respond to this crisis!

In a report released on November 17^th, 2017 (Statistics Canada) it was found that, “Infant mortality rates were more than twice as high for each Indigenous group, compared to with the non-Indigenous population. Post neonatal deaths made up nearly half of all infant deaths in the Indigenous population, compared with about one-quarter of all infant deaths in the non-Indigenous population.”

The report was based on data obtained from the 2004 – 2006 period and included 17,547 Indigenous and 112,112 non-Indigenous singleton births.

In many ways Indigenous people living in northern communities in Canada face enormous hurdles. Some remote Northern communities such as Eabametoong First Nation are mainly accessible by plane. Bonnie Schiedel revealed details about these experiences in an article in the November 15^th, 2019, issue of Today’s Parent. The article indicates that about 40,000 Canadian women have to make the trek from rural and remote areas in the North to places such as Thunder Bay, Ontario to deliver their babies. Dr, Patrick Lafleche, a family physician, is aware of the challenges these pregnant Indigenous women face. He states, “Travelling for birth is absolutely stressful. The further women have to travel and be away from families, the more complications there are, in particular, higher rates of prematurity.”

The petition at change.org highlights the vital issues and concerns addressed. It states, “The Northern communities in Canada are being disproportionately impacted by the high rates of infant mortality. This issue has a significant and devastating impact on these communities, as it takes away the lives of their most vulnerable members. It also has a ripple effect on families and communities, causing profound grief, trauma, and loss of potential.” One of the tragic cases that was reported in the media involved the death of a Manitoba infant.

The petition maintains that it is imperative that the status quo change in order to ensure that no more infants lose their lives under these circumstances. It states further, “The stakes of this issue are high. If things do not change, the lives of countless Indigenous infants will continue to be lost unnecessarily. The perpetuation of this healthcare inequity also undermines the fundamental values of fairness, justice, and equality in Canadian society. The failure to address this issue not only affects the Indigenous communities themselves, but also the wider society, as we all have a responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to adequate health care.”

The petition concludes, “This is a matter of urgency, and we must act now to ensure that all Indigenous infants have access to the life-saving health care they need and deserve.”

The federal government needs to take immediate action!