4.3 percent of the Canadian population is comprised of Indigenous individuals, this is approximately 1, 400, 685 people. The Indigenous population are individuals who self-identify as First Nation, Inuit and/or Metis people who have, “historically inhabited the lands where they currently reside, before and after contact or colonization, with distinct cultures, societal functions, languages, beliefs and connection with the land and its resources” (“The Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, 2017).
Indigenous Health in Canada
In Canada, 39% of First Nation adults indicate that they have less access to health services compared to the rest of the Canadian population (“The Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, 2017). The National Collaborating Center for Aboriginal Health (2013) indicates that, “Colonialism and resulting economic, social and cultural marginalization has had a huge impact on the health of the Indigenous people (“An Overview of Aboriginal Health in Canada, 2013). With smoking rates of First Nation being 43% (twice that of the general Canadian population (“The Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, 2017); high infant and young child mortality; high maternal morbidity and mortality; heavy infectious disease burdens; malnutrition and stunted growth; shortened life expectancy; disease and death associated with cigarette smoking, social problems, illnesses and deaths linked to misuse of alcohol and other drugs, accidents, poisoning, interpersonal violence, homicide and suicide, obesity, diabetes hypertension, cardiovascular and chronic renal disease, and disease caused by the environment contamination (“An Overview of Aboriginal Health in Canada, 2013) ; among the Indigenous population, the Indigenous population is a vulnerable population and the lack of availability of health services needs to be addressed.
Closing the Gaps in Indigenous Health Outcomes
A CBC news article written by Lafonraine (2018) indicated that in order to close the gaps that exist between the health outcomes of the Indigenous population compared to the rest of Canada, the following needs to be established:
“The determinants of health need to be separated. Mixing all the determinants together and calling it a health care system is not a holistic approach. Separate strategies need to be implemented with protective funding. This is not to say that strategies cannot coordinate with one another or be collaborative however, the problems need to be articulated separately;
Improvement in direct patient care;
Improvement in data efficiency and technology;
A clear strategy for consistent and sufficient health access, real time population specific health informatics, mechanisms to ensure patient experiences are free from hostility and oppression, mental health support, demographic reflection of indigenous representation in health provider roles and integration of traditional wellness practices that cross provincial and federal accountabilities” (Lafronraine, 2018).
Improving Health
According to the University of Ottawa, “in order to improve health outcomes, health care professionals must aim for and provide culturally safe care by learning about Indigenous health and social issues and the factors that affect their health lifestyles and communities” (“The Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, 2017). Furthermore, health programs need to be established and readily available to the Indigenous population with an understanding and incorporation of their traditional medicines such as herbal remedies, chanting and rattling (Young, 2006); as these are aspects of their culture and can aid in treatment and improvement of health outcomes. Figure 1 below is a picture of the traditional medicine wheel which has been used generations of Indigenous people for medicine and healing practices:
Figure 1. The Medicine Wheel
References:
“An Overview of Aboriginal Health In Canada”. (2013). National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. Retrieved from https://www.ccnsa-nccah.ca/docs/context/FS-OverviewAbororiginalHealth-EN.pdf
“The Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada”. (2017). University of Ottawa. Retrieved from www.med.uottawa.ca/SIM/data/Vul_Indigenous_e.htm
Lafonraine, A. (2018). Close the Gap Between Indigenous Health Outcomes and the Rest of Canada. CBC News. Retrieved from www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/opinion-indigenous-health-alika-lafontaine-1.4547798
Young, T.K. (2006). Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Historica Canada. Retrieved from https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-people-health/
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