Aboriginal People in Manitoba 2000Chapter 2 : Health |
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Use of Medical Services
A study completed in 1993 compared Winnipeg urban health care service utilization between Status Indians and other residents. Results indicated that Status Indians’ use of health care services was substantially higher, both in the core area and suburban districts. Core area Status Indians demonstrated almost twice as many hospital days per 1,000 as other residents of the core area.25
Provincially, age-standardized hospitalization rates for injuries, infectious, circulatory and respiratory diseases were, respectively, 3.3, 6.3, 1.8 and 3.3 times higher among First Nations people than other Manitoba residents.26 As may be deduced from the mortality and morbidity information in this chapter, higher hospital use is linked to health deficiencies in the Aboriginal population, as well as more frequent and more serious injuries.
It may also be attributed to the lack of available outpatient health care in often isolated reserve locations. Having completed surveys in 1997 of 1,948 adults and 870 children in 17 representative First Nations communities, the final report of the Manitoba First Nations Regional Health Survey found that only 35% of people interviewed indicated that there were sufficient nurses at the community level, 25% reported enough dentists and 13% enough doctors. Eighty-eight per cent found the availability of language interpreters inadequate and, not surprising, 94% the availability of medical specialists:
In general, most ancillary services such as sexual abuse counseling, mental health services, nutritional counseling, home support, daycare, and substance abuse counseling were regarded as very inadequate by the vast majority of people interviewed. In a few areas such as medical transport, approximately half the people interviewed felt this particular service was adequate.27
