Medical supply delays for flu-hit reserves causes anger

It has come to light recently that the First Nations natives suffering from a wide-spread outbreak of Swine Flu in Northern Manitoba were not given supplies of hand sanitizer because of the alcohol contained in the sanitizers.

Several reserves in Northern Manitoba have been hit hard by a Swine Flu outbreak, with St. Teresa Point and Garden Hill seeing the worst effects thus far. While Tamiflu was delivered to the reserves earlier this month, Health Canada had delayed the supply of hand sanitizers to the area. Most of the reserves have very little running water. Specifically, Garden Hill has 200 houses (out of 480) with water and sewer connections; St. Theresa Point has 218 out of 532 houses with water service, and 168 have sewer connections. The on-reserve population of St. Teresa Point in 2004 was 2,972 people. Wasagamack First Nations has 91 houses (out of 243) with both running water and sewer services. St. Teresa Point Chief Adam Fiddler had asked for medical supplies in early June when the flu outbreak began. The Winnipeg Free Press reported on June 11th that Garden Hill Chief David Harper had expressed his frustration in the delays in getting medical help and supplies, saying he was

"...struggling to bring in even the most basic medical equipment, such as masks, gloves, sanitization equipment and antivirals."

Furthermore,

"The supplies were ordered last week through the local nursing station, but Harper said they still haven't arrived. He said if they don't show up soon, he'll pay for the equipment out of his own pocket."

Harper had requested non-alcohol hand sanitizers for Garden Hill. Chief Harper actually did wind up purchasing some supplies for Garden Hill. Garden Hill and St. Teresa point have both been hit hard by the Swine Flu outbreak. On June 16th, during a debate in the Senate, Senator Ms. Niki Ashton (Churchill, NDP) said that she had

"...visited two first nations in my region that have been hit with H1N1. I saw people who were afraid, anxious, tired and a pandemic plan full of paper, no resources, no action. The pandemic is spreading across first nations in Manitoba and across Canada, and the government's inaction is quite apparent. Chiefs from three of the hardest hit communities are on the Hill today. They need doctors, they need supplies, and they need them now. Will the minister meet with these chiefs and act to support them in what they need for their first nations?"

Two days later, the chiefs from St. Teresa Point and Garden Hill as well as from Wasagamack First Nation met with Health Minister, Leoana Aglukkaq and Chuck Strahl, Indian Affairs Minister. While the Chiefs described the meeting as "positive," the Minister of Health refused a request to set up a field hospital. Yesterday, the Chiefs expressed anger over the delays in getting supplies to the reserves - and for the reasons behind the delays. According to Health Canada, the delays arose out of a concern that the hand sanitizers contain alcohol. Chief Harper said yesterday that he had already advised Health Canada of the need to avoid alcohol-based sanitizer, but also informed Health Canada about alternative products available. However, instead of simply sending in non-alcohol based products, apparently Health Canada held in-depth discussions "for days" about how best to approach the situation. speaking at the Senate hearing, Dr. Kim Barker, Senior Health Advisor for the Assembly of First Nations said

"We heard that people were sitting down spending days discussing the pros and cons of a non-alcohol-based hand sanitizer versus an alcohol-based one because of the concerns around addictions in these communities."

Chief Harper told the press that

"The problem is that any decisions that are made in Ottawa are often not referred to us, at the reserve level," he said. "We knew there was a concern (about alcohol-based hand sanitizers), and that there was a way to address that concern."

This is just the latest in an ongoing saga for the First Nations in Northern Manitoba. Every time the Chiefs have publicly asked for help, there has been a public response from various Ministers of Health. For example, on June 11th, the response to requests for help from Manitoba's Health Minister, Teresa Oswald, was that assistance had already been put into action. Manitoba Senator, Sharon Carstairs, had pushed for the Senate Aboriginal Affairs Committee to hold a hearing into the flu outbreak in Manitoba. The Assembly of First Nations is asking for an examination into how the Swine Flu outbreak has been handled in Northern Manitoba. The number of Swine Flu cases in Manitoba is now confirmed to be 260. There have been two confirmed Swine Flu deaths in Northern Manitoba.