Northern Manitoba First Nations people rally for better health care

A St. Theresa Point man says he is sick of living in this "concrete jungle" and wants to go home to his remote First Nation.

Roy Harper says hehas been living in a Winnipeg hotel for two years because the treatment he needsfor vasculitis is not available at hiscommunity's nursing station.

"My main arteriesflare up, and sometimes they shut down," he said. "A couple months ago, I had one of my valves to my heart shut down and doctors had to fix me upgave me needles and pills and opened it back up."

Harper led an awareness walk from his hotel at the Health Sciences Centre to the Manitoba legislature on Wednesday, calling for better access to health in the north.

• More supports needed for First Nations patients sent to Winnipeg for long-term medical treatment: report

• Deaths, gaps in First Nations care illustrate need for more autonomy in health care: grand chief

"Right now, we don't have proper medical facilities. We don't have the resources in our communities," he said. "We are in the same position of our neighbouring communities in Island Lake."

The Island Lake region is made up of four Anishininew, also known as Oji-Cree, communities: St. Theresa Point, Garden Hill, Wasagamack and Red Sucker Lake.An estimated 14,000 peoplelive in the four communities.

Harper and other rally participants are calling for a hospital in their region, which he says would cut down on the need to fly people to Winnipeg for medical appointments and treatments.

"I think that would be a main cost-saving initiative.We want to help them, but they are not coming forward to help us."

'Hard for her'

Elaine White, who is from Red Sucker Lake, is staying in Winnipeg right now with her elderly mother who is on dialysis. There is onedialysis centre in the Island Lake region, but it's in Garden Hill and has a waiting list.

White is her mother's non-medical escort, which is covered under First Nations Inuit Health Branch, the federal department responsible for Indigenous health.

"It's hard for her. She has no life. Every second day, she'll have treatment," said White. "Sometimes, she will go home for a couple of days because that is the only time she can go."

White says their community, which is535 kilometresnortheast of Winnipeg, has a nursing station, with a doctor visiting once a week.

White says that is one of the reasons she struggled to get a diagnosis about 10 years ago.

It's hard up north. You have to wait long for surgery.You're there suffering in all that pain.- Elaine White of Red Sucker Lake

"I had problems in my ovaries.I'd come and see the gynecologist once every month maybe," she said, which eventually led to surgery.

"It's hard up north. You have to wait long for surgery.You're there suffering in all that pain."

White hopes the new modern nursing station, which opened in June, will improve health outcomes for her community.

The new facility cost $13.5 million, according to a news release fromIndigenous Services Canada. It said the government will spend about $50 million to upgrade health facilities in Manitoba First Nations.