There are children dying; This issue has persisted for far too long, and immediate action is needed

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“The stakes of this issue are high. If things do not change, the lives of countless Indigenous infants will continue to be lost unnecessarily.” Petition Starter Ashley

The immediate moments, or days are often described as a blur. It can leave a mother feeling: shock, numb and disconnected. Many parents said that after losing their baby they could not think straight and felt unable to make decisions. Grief took over!

When you think about infant mortality, you think about countries or regions that have culminating socioeconomic factors such as: poverty, lack of education, and social inequality that contribute to poor maternal and child health outcomes. In these regions families facing economic hardships struggle to access healthcare, proper nutrition, and other essential resources.

They might be dealing with inadequate access to clean water and sanitation facilities that can lead to waterborne diseases, impacting the health of both mothers and infants.

In many regions, particularly in developing countries, limited access to healthcare services, including prenatal care and skilled attendance during childbirth, can contribute to high infant mortality rates. Lack of access to vaccinations and timely medical interventions also plays a role.

What if I told you that these conditions are taking place, not in a third world country, but right here in Canada. Would you be surprised? I certainly was.

According to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, thousands of Canadian families face this gut-wrenching grief, and though Canada’s infant mortality rates have improved over time — from about 10.9 deaths out of 1,000 births in 1980 to 4.4 deaths per 1,000 births in 2021 — the country has slipped in its ranking of infant mortality among wealthy, developed nations. Now, health policy experts and analysts say that’s a red flag about the state of the country’s social safety net, and that Canada’s lower ranking reflects issues considered risk factors for infant deaths.

A group of nursing students reached out to me to call attention to this urgent issue that is impacting a vulnerable community here in Canada. The Northern Indigenous communities in Canada are being disproportionately impacted by these high rates of infant mortality. This issue has had a significant and devastating impact on these communities and has had a ripple effect on families and communities, causing profound grief, trauma, and loss of potential.

Take for instance the recent tragedy of a Manitoba infant that died senselessly due to a delayed Medevac flight to the closest emergency department. When she finally arrived at the hospital there, she knew that the son she had named Jasper wouldn’t survive. Adrienne Menow was left waiting hours for a Medevac flight when quick medical intervention could have saved her baby’s life.

Adrienne, and other women in her community are sounding the alarm about a lack of emergency medical resources in Indigenous communities like Norway House Cree Nation. With her baby in breech, she needed immediate help, but spent hours in labour in a room at the Norway House hospital until a flight could take her north to a better-equipped facility in the city of Thompson, Manitoba.

The stakes of this issue are high. If things do not change, the lives of countless Indigenous infants will continue to be lost unnecessarily. The perpetuation of this health care inequity also undermines the fundamental values of fairness, justice, and equality in Canadian society. The failure to address this issue not only affects the Indigenous communities themselves, but also the wider society, as we all have a responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to adequate health care.

The time to act is now. This issue has persisted for far too long, and immediate action is needed to address the alarming infant mortality rates in Northern Indigenous communities. We cannot continue to ignore the pressing health care needs of these communities and expect things to improve on their own. This is a matter of urgency, and we must act now to ensure that all Indigenous infants have access to the life-saving health care they need and deserve.

The Canadian Parliament must take responsibility for addressing this issue, and we call on them to act with urgency and purpose to effect meaningful change.