New research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) has found Indigenous people in Canada have higher rates of death and complications after surgery, and lower rates of surgery than other populations. The study's authors say it is a first step in providing hard scientific proof to support decades of Indigenous anecdotal evidence. The team looked at 28 studies that compared surgical outcomes for a range of procedures in Indigenous people with outcomes among non-Indigenous people in Canada. Caron, Canada's first female Indigenous general surgeon, is a member of a research team investigating Indigenous disparities in Canada's health-care system. The study found, specifically, Indigenous people were less likely to undergo life-saving surgery, including cardiac surgery and caesarean sections; and experienced longer wait times for kidney transplants.

Source: CBC News May 17, 2021 10:52 UTC