Canada's Indigenous population struggle against COVID-19 without equal public healthcare

As the number of COVID-19 cases in Canada continues to surge, the Indigenous communities in the country are bracing themselves for the worst. Exposed to the pandemic, the country's First Nations fear that the virus will expand beyond the urban sectors to the rural and remote locations of the country. However, the greater fear among the First Nations and remote Indigenous communities is the lack of medical care and proper infrastructural facilities. As per reports, there are over 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the First Nations reserves. Most of these cases are confined to communities in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.

With the increasing number of cases, the Indigenous communities have already blocked entries to non-residents and erected barriers and checkpoints. However, there are mounting concerns about the lack of access to COVID-19 testing and other medical facilities.

According to Minister of Indigenous Services in Canada, Marc Miller, Indigenous communities are highly vulnerable to the disease due to unsanitary conditions they are living in and lack of health facilities. There are inadequate healthcare resources and supplies including personal protective equipment (PPEs), test swabs, and medical professionals to fight the pandemic. Houses of communities such as Eagle Lake, Eabametoong (Fort Hope), and Lac Seul are poorly-constructed, crowded, without safe drinking water, which raises alarming concerns about their safety amid the global pandemic.

Furthermore, Canada's Indigenous populations are highly vulnerable to chronic illness and have a lower life expectancy as compared to the national averages. Even though, Canada's public healthcare system is one of the best in the world, the distribution of facilities is not parallel to all communities in the country.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has announced that the federal government will provide $306.8 million as financial aid to the businesses of the Indigenous communities that have been impacted by the economic ramifications of the pandemic. In addition to this, the government had announced $305 million aid to prepare the country's First Nations communities in the fight against the novel Coronavirus disease.

British Columbia (BC) has announced a collaborative framework for the safety of people living in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in the province. This plan will provide the Indigenous communities access to better health care during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future.

While the Canadian government has introduced an array of relief measures, there is still much more needed to be done for the protection of the First Nations communities.

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