Abdulla: An apology to Indigenous Peoples from Canada's doctors

Health and Medical news

We must foster trust with our Indigenous patients: listening to their stories, understanding their fears, and working to make our health-care spaces safe and welcoming.

Published Sep 17, 2024 • Last updated 4 hours ago • 2 minute read

The Canadian Medical Association will apologize to Indigenous people for systemic racism in health care this week, says Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, shown here. Photo by Staff /POSTMEDIA

I am an Indo-Pak Muslim family doctor in south Ottawa. I have a few Indigenous people in my family medicine practice and have interacted with many in my 32 years as a family doctor. I try my best to treat everyone with dignity and respect, but I accept that I have unconscious biases.

On Sept. 18, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) will apologize to Indigenous Peoples for systemic interpersonal and relational racism that has led to suboptimal medical treatment and (sub)conscious discrimination. This apology should be taken seriously and promote meaningful action among non-Indigenous physicians like me.

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How can I do better?

As doctors and citizens, we are acutely aware of the deep and lasting harm inflicted on Indigenous communities by Canada’s health-care system. The systemic racism that led to the preventable death of Brian Sinclair (an Indigenous man who died while waiting 34 hours for care in a Winnipeg hospital) and countless others continues to persist, shaping the everyday experiences of Indigenous patients who distrust medical institutions. This upcoming CMA apology is a recognition of these harms, a necessary step toward reconciliation, and a reminder that trust must be rebuilt.

Many of us, including me, are privileged settlers who have thrived in a system that benefits from colonial legacies. However, the coming apology is not about placing individual blame but about acknowledging that the structures we work within are still harming Indigenous Peoples today. This includes the legacy of Indian hospitals, forced sterilizations, and the cultural alienation of patients flown from northern communities to southern cities for medical care in unfamiliar environments.

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The CMA’s apology will be a significant moment of truth for our profession. As health-care providers, we must do more than issue apologies. We must listen to Indigenous voices, engage in cultural sensitivity training, and advocate for structural reforms that dismantle systemic racism in healthcare.

Reconciliation is a journey that will require sustained effort and ongoing accountability.

In our practices, we can start by fostering trust with our Indigenous patients: listening to their stories, understanding their fears, and working to make our health-care spaces safe and welcoming. We must also work with Indigenous colleagues to ensure that their voices are heard, and their experiences respected.

I welcome this first step of a long journey of healing. I intend to follow through with actions that will lead to a more equitable, civil and just health-care system for all.

What will you do?

Dr. Alykhan Abdulla is a comprehensive family doctor working in Manotick, Board Director of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and Director for Longitudinal Leadership Curriculum at the University of Ottawa Undergraduate Medical Education.

X.com: @AlykhanAbdulla

LINKEDIN: Dr.AlykhanAbdulla MD, FCFP, Dip Sport Med, CCPE, MCPL, ICD.D

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