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Indigenous Health Disparity Essay

804 Words4 Pages

The indigenous health disparity is a critical event that has significant implications for Canadian society. This is because it exposes the deep-rooted problem of systemic racism, impacts the health and livelihood of indigenous individuals and provides society with the knowledge and opportunity to see what their past choices have led to and how society can use this event as a guide to a more equitable future. Firstly, systemic racism is a major issue that affects the majority of indigenous people in all sectors and predominantly in healthcare. For instance, many indigenous people have voiced how they often experience profiling, bias, stereotyping and non-culturally appropriate care from healthcare professionals which can lead to different treatment …show more content…

For example, due to the hardship in accessing healthcare, many indigenous people face much more health issues and are at greater risk of getting chronic illnesses such as malnutrition, heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, High blood pressure, and mental health issues.4 Studies have also found that one in ten indigenous people have arthritis, diabetes or asthma and are 20% more likely to have chronic conditions compared to non-indigenous people.5 This shows the dire circumstances of this issue and how the inaccessibility to healthcare that indigenous people have, has led them to face much more health issues and as result also have lower life expectancies. This shows, the significance as it places a moral and ethical responsibility on society and the government to solve and address this issue, as people's lives are being impacted negatively every single day that it goes unaddressed, hence its …show more content…

Furthermore, by acknowledging and understanding this issue and its roots from the history of colonization and thereafter, society can identify the mistakes that led to this issue and figure out how to resolve them and ensure a more equitable and beneficial future.6 As evidence, when settlers and colonizers first came to Canada they brought a plethora of diseases that wiped out nearly 60% of indigenous people, and those who were infected were not given access to western or proper medicine which caused more to die.7 This highlights the importance of this issue as it was because of the past choices society made that led to this issue and through acknowledgement and action, it will enable society to learn from their mistakes to construct a better future where systemic racism and unequal treatment have been abolished. This can lead to a future where individuals can receive and access the same level of treatment regardless of who they are and what their identity

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