“A dichotomy exists between outcomes in Indigenous health and all other areas of health in Canada. In the former, signing a political agreement with the promise of action...is celebrated as a major win. In the latter, the only wins that matter are those affecting direct patient care...”
“Few argue the status quo is an option. Still, we justify our inaction through familiar excuses: jurisdictional ambiguity; a need for more research; a belief Indigenous patients don’t care about their health or are uneducated; disparities as a result of inherent genetic and cultural characteristics. We approach the challenge waiting for someone else to act, repeating yet another study or dismissing it outright.”
“My personal experience with indigenous patients and their concerns regarding medically assisted dying are very different from my experience with mainstream Canadian patients. One reason is that medically assisted dying has existed in our communities for more than a century.”
