The president of Métis Nation BC, Clara Morin Dal Col, is recommending the province create a tip line for anyone who’s seen or experienced racism in the healthcare system.
Dal Col met with Minister of Health Adrian Dix on Sunday – two days after Dix revealed some serious allegations of racism within the BC healthcare system.
On Friday, Minister Dix said he’d received a report that some emergency room staff in the province had been accused of playing a game where they attempted to guess the blood alcohol level of patients, particularly of Indigenous people.
Dix announced that the government had immediately engaged in an investigation process into these “racist and abhorrent” practices, assigning former children’s advocate, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, to find facts and make recommendations.
Dal Col says that since Friday’s announcement, Métis Nation BC has been flooded with calls “from healthcare staff who have witnessed this and had stories to tell, but were afraid to lose their jobs.”
“This goes much deeper than the ‘game’ that’s come to light. That’s the tip of the iceberg,” said Dal Col.
Dal Col suggests that despite Turpel Lafond launching into an investigation, immediate action needs to be taken. A tipline, she feels, can serve as a place that people can report incidents safely and without fear of losing their jobs.
A special statement from President Clara Morin Dal Col regarding systemic racism in BC's health care system + response to meeting with Health Minister Adrian Dix today pic.twitter.com/ahxGf8ji3U
— Métis Nation BC (@MetisNationBC) June 21, 2020
“I’ve heard from numerous healthcare workers in the past 48 hours regarding how they have witnessed racism first-hand, reported it to senior officials only to be told they were the problem,” said Dal Col in a statement.
Dal Col hopes an established tipline would be accessible to the public as well for anyone who witnesses racism within a health care setting.
After meeting with Minister Dix, the president of Métis Nation BC said that the two agreed for open communication and consultation in an effort to “root out all racism within our health care system.”
Graham Cox
