“Our health care services were set up with the best intentions in mind, they weren’t set up with Indigenous people in mind.” – Dr. Janet Smylie
As a midwife I cross paths with many patients from various vulnerable populations. In my opinion the Indigenous population in Canada consistently experiences less quality health care and are much more likely to receive care that is not culturally sensitive and at times are forced to deal with overt racism from health care workers who are working in a colonial health care system that has done little to educate its workers. The death of Brian Sinclair in a busy Winnipeg hospital is a tragic story where racism resulted in an appalling lack of health care for Mr. Sinclair.
Brian Sinclair was one of 9 children who grew up in the community of Sakgeeng, located northeast of Winnipeg. His mother was a residential school survivor. Sinclair struggled with a solvent addiction and approximately a year before his death, he had both his legs amputated due to frostbite.
On Sept. 19, 2008, Brian Sinclair went to a community health centre in Winnipeg complaining of pain and needing help with his indwelling catheter bag. The attending physician felt that Brian Sinclair was in the early stages of a bladder infection that might lead to sepsis if untreated, so the physician recommended Mr. Sinclair present to Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre Emergency Department for treatment as the clinic was not equipped to manage Brian Sinclair’s needs. As Sinclair was a double amputee. this physician organized a ride and gave him a letter to give to staff upon arrival in emergency so that he would be seen promptly. Upon arrival, Brian Sinclair would spend approximately 34 hours in the emergency department waiting room where he would later die from sepsis from an untreated urinary tract infection without ever having been examined by medical staff. There are 34 hours of security footage demonstrating Mr. Sinclair’s presence and lack of treatment. There are countless statements from other patients who came and went while Mr. Sinclair waited. Statements from patients and their family members expressing their concerns over Brian Sinclair’s well-being, with one family reporting to nursing staff that Sinclair was vomiting. He was provided with a bowl but no medical staff attended to him then or at any other time. There was a health care aide who saw Sinclair on both the first and second night “and “had a feeling something wasn’t right.” She testified (at the inquiry into Sinclair’s death) that she told a nurse that Sinclair had waited more than 24 hours, only to have the nurse shrug it off. And then, she testified, when she told a security guard outside on his break, she said “his response was, ‘I think he’s here to watch TV’ (Gerster, 2018). On the morning of September 21, 2008, a nurse was asked to check on Sinclair but stated that it “didn’t seem urgent” so chose to finish charting and paperwork before checking on Sinclair. When this nurse finally did check on Mr. Sinclair, rigor mortis had already begun to set in and Brian Sinclair was officially pronounced dead at 12:51 on September 21, 2008 (
(Gerster, 2018).
While not all examples of racism in health care are so overt, Brian Sinclair’s tragic death is not easy to ignore and highlights just how devastating health outcomes can be when racisms permeates the care an individual receives. An investigation and inquest were held, but ultimately no individuals were held accountable. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority did make a public apology and the family received some financial compensation and in the almost 11 years since his death the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has taken strides to ensure Indigenous patients receive better care but ultimately racism in health care persists. A Métis doctor working in Toronto named Janet Smylie, who has devoted much of her time to research on racism in Canadian health care says her research has led her to conclude that Indigenous people cannot “expect to receive equal treatment when they go to ERs.”
Clearly Canada’s health care system has a long way to go with training and educating health care workers and figuring out how to change current colonial systems that allow racist and inequitable health care to continue to occur.
Resources:
Geary, A. (2017, September 19). Ignored to death: Brian Sinclair's death caused by racism, inadequate inquest, group says. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-brian-sinclair-report-1.4295996
Gerster, J. (2018, September 21). Brian Sinclair. A man was ignored to death in the ER ten years ago. It could happen again. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/4445582/brian-sinclair-health-care-racism/
Lavallee, L. F., & Pool, J. M. (2010). Beyond Recovery: Colonization, Health and Healing for Indigenous People in Canada. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8(2), 271-281. Retrieved from
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