Health concerns in remote First Nation in Ontario not taken seriously, says deputy chief
CBC
The deputy chief of Fort Albany First Nation in remote northern Ontario says health concerns in her community aren't taken seriously, and members often don't receive proper care until they travel elsewhere.
Charlotte Nakoochee gave the example of an elder who discovered he had a tumour only after travelling to Timmins, Ont., a two-hour flight from Fort Albany, which is located along the James Bay Coast.
Nakoochee said the elder had gone to the clinic in Fort Albany several times, but the nurse didn't find anything wrong.
"A couple of weeks ago, he happened to be in Timmins for another thing, and because he wasn't feeling well, he decided to go to" a hospital emergency department, she said.
"I feel like this could have been caught earlier if they paid attention, if they took his concerns about his health seriously," Nakoochee added. "Sometimes it's just bothersome where it's like they don't take our people seriously."
Over 2,000 people live in Fort Albany and nearby Kashechewan First Nation, but the fly-in communities don't have full-time physicians. A locum is brought in about five times a month.
They have a small clinic with some nurses and a nurse practitioner who also flies into the community, but Nakoochee said it is under-resourced.
"We don't have the proper medical equipment to properly diagnose our members in the community and even when they get referred out of town, like to either move towards treatment," she said.
Nakoochee said it can take up to two weeks for someone to get a doctor's appointment. If a serious issue arises, they need to get to Ontario cities like Timmins or Sudbury by medevac.
Alison Linklater, the newly elected grand chief of the Mushkegowuk Council, which represents seven Cree First Nations in Ontario's far north, said equitable access to health care is a major priority for her.
"To have an elder go through that is not right," Linklater said.
"In our culture, we take good care of our elders. And to have this happen, it's very, very sad."
Linklater is a former nurse and has been a consultant, working behind the scenes to obtain funding for mental health services.
She said she is connecting with health-care providers in her region to start a dialogue and work together "to really find solutions to fix our health-care systems locally and regionally."
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