Northern Manitoba First Nations Communities Received Body Bags Instead of Requested Medicines for the H1N1 Influenza

Leaders of remote reservations in Northern Manitoba requested the supplies needed to help ward off the H1N1 virus spreading through their communities. They were hard hit by the swine flu in the spring of 2009. With few or no resources immediately available in these remote communities, they look to the Canadian government for help. When the packages finally arrived, what they received from Health Canada shocked and horrified the members of these reservations. What they received was a supply of body bags for each of the reservations but no sign of the medicines needed.

According to The National Post, Wasagamack, God's River First Nation, Garden Hill and St. Theresa Point each received a supply of the body bags.

Is this the Canadian government's way of telling the reserves that they expect many people to die from the H1N1 or swine flu, or that they are writing them off?

What many people outside of these communities do not understand is how remote some of these reservations are and why these kits are so necessary. Many of the remote communities throughout the far recesses of Canada do not have full facilities, or even doctors available. They have few medical supplies. Doctor's visits involve long trips off the reserves, sometimes via plane or in the wintertime on remote icy winter roads. Instead they often rely on nurse's stations to deal with immediate and less serious health care issues.

More serious concerns or even positive medical events like the birth of a child mean a trip far away from home. There are no hospitals or facilities to accommodate the more involved medical needs in these far away communities or even basic checkups, hence the request for supplies to help deal with the spreading H1N1 illness. Shots are being prepared for distribution to the Canadian citizens at large but will they be available on the many remote reservations for those who are at high risk or who would chose to take the shots?

What kind of message does that send the residents of the remote Manitoba reserves? Some have taken it as a sign from the government that they are expendable and the most they can offer are the means to dispose of the bodies of the natives who live in these communities if they succumb to the H1N1 influenza. Are they telling them that they are on their own in this pandemic?

The First Nation's communities of Northern Manitoba don't want body bags. They want the medicines and supplies needed to help fight the H1N1 virus.

In an interview on CTV posted onTheGlobeandMail.com Grand Chief David Harper who represents the communities in Manitoba says" the shipment of body bags came from Health Canada." He further stated, " No activity in our communities currently, nothing that indicates preparations are being made."

Grand Chief Harper goes on to say, "We are hearing throughout Canada the ministers responsible for First Nations health care say that 85 % of Canada's First Nation's are ready for the next pandemic wave."

"To this day, nothing has been done. The first thing we are getting is body bags and not the kits themselves."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/090196/science/canada_manitoba_mb_ottawa_body_bags_manitoba

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2001754

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/video/grand-chief-david-harper-reacts-to-shipment/article1291169/?view=picks