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According to the Canadian Press, a man from a First Nation in Southern Alberta has filed a human rights complaint against Alberta Health Services (AHS) and a local hospital, claiming anti-indigenous discrimination led to his wife’s death.
The report says the complaint which was filed by Benedict Crow Chief of Siksika Nation, claims his wife, Myra Crow Chief, died in April 2022, due to the failure of staff and doctors at the Strathmore District Health Services Hospital to divulge to them that she had active abdominal bleeding.
“Clearly my late wife’s condition was urgent. Her death was preventable. Why are hospitals taking in patients when they’re just going to discharge us without proper care and attentions? he told the Canadian Press.
“Would we be treated differently if we were not indigenous? I feel the answer is yes”, he added.
However, AHS in a statement released on Thursday said it is “undertaking a full quality assurance review of the care provided, as well as examining the follow-up communication provided to the family.”
The provincial health body, according to the report, says it “cannot comment on this specific case as it is before the Alberta Human Rights Commission” but it will “continue to meet with Siksika Nation to discuss their concerns.”
The health organization says it is “committed to working with them for the benefit and health care of all people.”
The Canadian Press reports that the Alberta Human Rights Commission complaint says Myra Crow Chief, 49, died at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary on April 21, 2022, days after being released from Strathmore hospital.”
The woman, who also had chronic kidney disease, was reportedly at Foothills hospital, two months before her death, due to bloody stool caused by gastrointestinal bleeding. The complaint states that “while medical staff found no active bleeding at that time. Myra was advised to return to the hospital if she experienced new bleeding or was otherwise concerned.”
The complaint says a CT scan was done on Myra Crow Chief at Calgary’s Peter Lougheed Centre before she was transported back to Strathmore hospital. However, they did not receive the results “for reasons that remain unclear.”
Siksika Chief Ouray Crawfoot, said the purpose of the lawsuit is not for financial gains, but to ensure “equitable treatment.” Crawfoot said “what we are trying to do here is highlight a widespread system failure by the Strathmore hospital in the larger AHS system.”
“The complaint calls for specific remedies such as an equity audit to investigate the inequitable treatment of indigenous people in the Strathmore hospital and changes to hiring and retention practices and workplace anti-racism and cultural sensitivity training.”
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