Geography

The geographical locations where Indigenous people live are essential to understanding why access to healthcare is a major issue for their communities. Many Indigenous communities are situated in remote and rural areas. Communities across Canada are suffering from this injustice in places such as Manitoba, Fort Chipewyan (Alberta), Timmins (Ontario), Nunavut, Northern Labrador, the Northwest Territories, and many more. (Indigenous Watchdog).

In remote First Nations reserves and other Indigenous communities, healthcare is mainly provided by nurses and community health workers (CHWs). They are limited in training and equipment, which often forces First Nations people to travel to urban centers for advanced care, creating geographical barriers. This especially impacts Métis and Inuit people, since only a small number of Inuit villages have hospitals and many lack year-round road access, requiring them to travel by plane in an emergency. Weather can delay medical evacuations, worsening outcomes for critical situations like heart attacks. Additionally, inadequate high-speed internet limits access to online medical resources, making the delivery of healthcare in these areas harder. (Nam et al).

These communities often struggle to recruit and retain healthcare professionals, leading to shortages, which causes many people to rely on non-resident health professionals who come and go, which interferes with regular treatment and makes it challenging to get adequate medical care. High transportation costs also create significant barriers to accessing healthcare, especially for those in remote areas who may need to travel long distances for specialized services. Even when healthcare is available, issues with timing and irregular service delivery can prevent individuals from getting the care they need. These geographic obstacles cause Indigenous peoples to continue to have their needs unmet. (NCCIH 3-6).

Many Indigenous people must travel long distances to get medical care and often face discrimination along the way. For example, in February 2018, Joey Knapaysweet and Agnes Sutherland traveled over 400 km from Fort Albany First Nation to Timmins, Ontario, to find health services that weren't available in their community. Sadly, both faced unfair treatment during their visit, which led to their deaths. Their story demonstrates the vulnerability of Indigenous patients in the medical system, where they frequently do not receive the same quality of care as non-indigenous people. The long journeys may result in treatment delays and lead to worse health outcomes. Additionally, environmental issues, like pollution from industries in places like Fort Chipewyan, make health challenges even harder for Indigenous communities to live there. This is just one example; there are many more like this. (Indigenous Watchdog).

In conclusion, access to healthcare is significantly low for Indigenous communities in Canada due to geographic limitations. Discrimination, shortages of resources, and remote locations all contribute to the inequalities in healthcare. In order to improve health outcomes, it is essential that these issues be addressed.