Province acts to address Indigenous racism in health care
A Ministry of Health progress report marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to dismantle Indigenous-specific racism within B.C.’s health-care system.
This 24-month update highlights the implementation progress on the 24 recommendations made in the In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in BC Health Care report, which aims to make culturally safe health care a reality for all people in B.C.
“Every single person in B.C. deserves to be able to safely access the health care they need when they need it,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “We continue to make progress on all 24 recommendations from the In Plain Sight report, but we know there is more we can do to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism from our health-care system. Nobody should have to experience judgment, rejection, abuse or harm in receiving the health care they need, and we are committed to making that a reality for all people in B.C.”
In May 2021, First Nations and Métis leaders, health-system partner leaders and health-care experts from around the province formed the In Plain Sight task team to focus on implementation of the 24 recommendations.
Since the initial release of the In Plain Sight report, government has completed many of the key elements within the recommendations with the rest underway, including guiding the development of the new Health Professions and Occupations Act (Bill 36), which received royal assent in November 2022. The bill lays out anti-discrimination measures that aim to strengthen the response to Indigenous-specific racism in health care, enhance complaints processes and make the health system culturally safe for Indigenous Peoples and all people in British Columbia. With the conclusion of the task team’s work, progress toward full implementation of the In Plain Sight recommendations, including public reporting, will be continued under the Declaration Act Action Plan.
The In Plain Sight 24-month progress update will function as a snapshot of the work that has been done and shows the Ministry of Health commitment to fostering a health-care environment that is equitable, inclusive, safe and free from discrimination.
“I want to congratulate the task team and all of our system partners for their extraordinary work implementing the 24 recommendations,” Dix said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Indigenous leaders, health-system partners and health authorities throughout B.C. on this vital work. I encourage everybody to read this progress report to learn about the foundational work that the task team members produced.”
Learn More:
Read the 24-month progress report here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/IPS2YearReport.pdf
Read the full In Plain Sight report here: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/613/2020/11/In-Plain-Sight-Full-Report.pdf
Read a summary version of the report here:
https://engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/613/2020/11/In-Plain-Sight-Summary-Report.pdf
To read about the task team, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0059-001870
To learn about the Declaration Act Action Plan, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/indigenous-people/new-relationship/united-nations-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples/implementation