APTN National News
OTTAWA – Health Minister Jane Philpott is visting two beleaguered reserves in northern Ontario today, Attawapiskat and Kashechewan, to see conditions in the communities first-hand.
Health conditions on the ground in both communities have attracted international headlines, particularly a flurry of attempted suicides in Attawapiskat, near the shores of James Bay.
NDP Indigenous critic Charlie Angus, the MP for the riding that encompasses both reserves, said he is pleased Philpott is paying a visit.
I am flying to Attawapiskat with Minister @janephilpott thursday am Then to Kashechewan. It will be good to meet leaders, youth, health team
— Charlie Angus (@CharlieAngusNDP) June 2, 2016
Angus, who is travelling with the minister and Indigenous leaders, is calling for concrete actions from the government, including changes to Health Canada’s program for delivering medical services to First Nation communities.
APTN National News reported last month that a number of physicians have issues with the way medical services are handled by the federal government.
In April, Dr. Michael Kirlew, a doctor based in Sioux Lookout, Ont., told a Commons committee the government must make “drastic change” to save lives, noting the program creates unnecessary barriers for physicians trying to deliver care on reserves.
And physicians in Alberta told APTN that bureaucrats are trying to tell them what to prescribe to their patients.
Attawapiskat’s chief Bruce Shisheesh is expected to sit down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa for a face-to-face meeting later this month.
— with files from the Canadian Press
