Here are five things to know:
1. Darlene Kitty, MD, director of the Indigenous Program at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, and one of the document’s authors, said more education and training are key to addressing the issue of physician bias. She also stated most medical schools have such components in their curriculums already, although they are not mandatory.
2. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has recommended that all levels of government augment “cultural competency training” in medical schools and the Canadian health system itself.
3. The document guide asks physicians to acknowledge and change any negative perception of indigenous people so they can respect their patients’ individual needs.
4. A 2015 Auditor-General’s report highlighted disparities in healthcare provided to First Nations people in remote areas. First Nations people are the various aboriginal Canadians who are neither Inuit nor Métis. The report found about 400 nurses serve roughly 95,000 First Nations people in 85 indigenous health facilities in Ontario and Manitoba. Of 45 nurses studies, only one had completed compulsory courses in indigenous health offered by Health Canada.
5. First Nation leaders from Ontario declared a public health emergency last week, calling on the federal government to act within 90 days to address deficiencies in the system for northern indigenous communities.
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