Joyce Echaquan survey: Native people distrustful of the health system

Surgeon Stanley Vollant said Monday that native people do not feel safe in Quebec’s health care system because of systemic racism embedded in culture.

The recommendations component in the public inquiry into the death of Joyce Echaquan began at the Trois-Rivières courthouse with the testimony of the surgeon, who indicated that he had noticed from his first years of practice that racism was integrated into the culture. of the medical system.

The natives have a mistrust of hospitals which pushes them to wait before consulting, which causes significant delays in their diagnosis, according to the doctor.

The D^r Vollant presented some possible solutions and argued that trust requires decolonizing relationships and treating patients as equals. He assured that it would be essential to respect difference and to take action, such as saying hello in the other’s language.

He also recommended more recurrent training and the presence of liaison officers in health centers, as well as accountable directorates, a better complaints system and sustainable actions.

“I’m tired of seeing these commissions that accumulate without action, and I hope that we will take action because the evidence is quite clear, we see it”, he insisted during his testimony .

“Unfortunately, it took images of Joyce Echaquan dying to believe it, and even with these images, we still have people who deny the obvious,” he said.

The surgeon believes other dramas like Joyce Echaquan’s could take place if the evidence continues to be denied.

The recommendation component continues on Tuesday with the testimony of six other people. A day of representation with the various lawyers will take place the next day.

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