For immediate release
September 17, 2019
Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, MB – Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) is issuing this statement in response to the report The Health Status of and Access to Healthcare by Registered First Nation Peoples in Manitoba. This report, prepared by the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat and the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, shows the health gap between First Nation people and all other Manitobans has widened over the past 15 years, compared to the result of a similar study published in 2002.
MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee states:
“The results shared in this report are alarming and yet they confirm what First Nations leaders already know about health care and outcomes when it comes to First Nations citizens across the Province of Manitoba.
First Nations know what we need to be healthy. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak is leading much of the work that needs to be done through our Clinical Care Transformation Team, which is working to transform health systems in Northern Manitoba. First Nations people need to lead and we need the support of strong partners in the federal and provincial governments when it comes to improving access to primary health care. We need to work together to address racism that continues to negatively impact First Nations people—we can do this through increasing education opportunities that will grow the number of First Nations health care providers, develop and implement mandatory cultural safety training for all health care staff, and develop improved human resource policies that allow for safe reporting of racist incidents across all health care systems.”
You can download a copy of the full report here.
