Toronto Star – Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond released a supplemental data report Thursday that shows Indigenous people in B.C. are much more likely to feel unsafe in health-care settings, to feel they are never included in care decisions and to feel they receive poorer service than others.

“Taken together, these … reports clearly demonstrate the need for immediate, principled and comprehensive efforts to eliminate all forms of prejudice and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples in the B.C. health-care system,” she writes in the new document. The report comes as Indigenous people across B.C. are speaking out, including the Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola where hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine doses were abruptly withdrawn and a woman in Kitimat whose baby was stillborn after she says a hospital turned her away.

Her supplemental report is based on results of surveys, submissions to her team and patient complaints, as well as hard data on how Indigenous people use health care and the outcomes they experience. Almost 9,000 people directly shared their perspectives through surveys and submissions, while about 185,000 Indigenous individuals are reflected in the health sector data.

Indigenous survey respondents were significantly more likely to feel unsafe in health facilities. For example, in emergency rooms, 16 per cent felt “not at all safe” and 57 per cent felt “somewhat unsafe,” compared with five and 38 per cent of non-Indigenous people, respectively. Other findings include:

• 23% of Indigenous respondents reported they “always” received poorer service than others
• 24 per cent treated as though they were dishonest,
• 26 per cent treated as if they are drunk or asked about substance abuse and
• 14 per cent treated like bad parents.
• Some 67 per cent of Indigenous respondents reported they had experienced discrimination from health-care staff based on ancestry, compared to 5% of non-Indigenous respondents.
• Only 16 per cent of all Indigenous respondents reported never having been discriminated against for any reason listed while receiving health care.

Turpel-Lafond’s team also conducted a survey of health-care workers, of which 35 per cent said they had witnessed racism or discrimination directed to Indigenous patients, family or friends. The number increased to 59 per cent for Indigenous health-care workers who responded.
https://engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/613/2021/02/In-Plain-Sight-Data-Report_Dec2020.pdf1_.pdf