Indigenous youth in Manitoba say they have a more accessible, culturally appropriate proposition for health care in the province.
As part of a national survey called OurCare, the University of Manitoba hosted several marginalized groups for roundtable discussions recently, leading to the proposal of “auntie-style” care.
The idea would include more Indigenous-led spaces, where practices like smudging and drumming are the norm, and more support to help youth access the health system, as many feel intimidated and discriminated against when they need to access health care.
“The national OurCare Standard provides a straightforward and easy to understand guide for what people should be able to expect from the primary care system and what policymakers and decision makers should work towards when making changes to the primary care system,” the U of M’s Dr. Amanda Condon said in a statement Monday.
“Primary care that meets the OurCare Standard is primary care that meets the needs identified in the Indigenous youth community roundtable convened in Manitoba.”
The Manitoba roundtable discussions were only one part of the national OurCare initiative, which included opinions from almost 10,000 Canadians — including getting feedback from underserved communities, such as immigrants, refugees and other newcomers, people with disabilities and Indigenous people.
“I feel that it is very important that each of us do our part to ensure that health care meets the needs of all of our citizens in Canada,” said panel member Marti Ford, an assistant professor of education at the U of M.
“Complaining about a system doesn’t solve anything, we need to give our time to find a solution. We are all impacted by the health-care system and it needs to be healed in order to continue the work that the health-care professionals are striving for in a broken system.”
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