Challenges Faced by Aboriginals in Canada's Health System

Running head: HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 1
Health Administration
Name
Institution

HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 2
Health Administration
Reflection Paper #1
There are a lot of challenges that Aboriginals undergo in Canada, however, there are
some of them I never got a glimpse of until recently when I was involved in a certain community
project. One thing that struck me was the fact that the aboriginals were subjected to unequal
access to Canada’s health system. It is evident that the First Nations people are more vulnerable
to chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS as well as mental illness (Bear, 2017, p. 97). In fact, a
report that was released by the UNICEF in 2009 indicated that the aboriginal children were twice
likely to be hospitalized as a result of preventative illnesses. Consequently, I was shocked to
collect a lot of views suggesting that the aboriginals were denied equal hospital access in
Canada. To me, this was something that seemed ironic for existing Canada’s universal health
care system to be increasingly adorned for its overall quality of care despite the fact that it
remains out of reach for the indigenous people in Canada (Reading, 2018).
Secondly, it was surprising to learn that the aboriginals in Canada were discriminated
when it came to employment opportunities (Reading, 2018). Most of the people that we surveyed
complained about unfairness not only in the access to medical health care but also in the
employment opportunity. Notably, this was something I never expected given the fact that I
would expect people to be treated fairly and based on merits in getting employment. To further
my career, I intended to advocate fairness in society to make sure that people receive equal
opportunities not only in the access to medical care but as well as employment.

HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 3
References List
1. Bear D. From Toques to Tokes: Two challenges facing nationwide legalization of
cannabis in Canada. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2017 Apr 1; 42:97-101.
2. Reading C. Structural determinants of Aboriginal peoples’ health. Determinants of
Indigenous Peoples' Health: Beyond the Social. 2018 Apr 25:1.