The Neskantaga First Nation head is asking the Federal Government to quickly help a mobile health center in the remote community due to the floods that its nursing station has closed.
Chief Gary wanteds and the Community Council of the Northwest of Ontario declared an emergency state on Sunday after the medical care personnel noticed the water that leaked from the walls and a strong smell of fuel.
The first nation, where less than 400 people live about 450 kilometers northeastern Thunder Bay, has also been underneath The longest boiling water notice in Canada For 30 years.
“It’s our life line, our nursing station,” said Qiesses during a virtual press conference on Tuesday. “Don’t have [a] Adequate medical installation in the community at this time. We have a small interim place, but that’s not good enough. “
The temporary solution is to offer medical care evaluations in an 8 for 10 feet, said Neskantaga Health Director Sharon Sakanee.
“They are not obtaining full access to the services they need every day,” Sakanee said about their patients. “That is causing many mental health problems.”
We have a small interim place, but that’s not good enough.– Chief Gary wantedses, Neskantaga First Nation
Providing limited services in a small space means that nurses cannot access essential equipment, such as X -ray machine or oxygen tanks, he said. It is also causing concerns about the patient’s confidentiality.
CBC News contacted the indigenous services of Canada and will update this story when there is an answer.
Neskantaga is not the only community in the region that faces flood problems.
Community evacuations are carried out in Kashechewan First Nation to the east.
Floods are a continuous challenge in Kashechewan due to ice break in the Albany River. The Federal Government has promised to transfer the entire community of 2,000 people to a new location by 2029.
‘It’s very difficult for us to live like this’
The Neskantaga Nursing Station was built in 1994, said the member and advisor of the Roy Moonias community. Spring flood often affects the building, but not to this extent.
The precise reason of the smell of fuel has not been determined.
But Carla Chisel of Matawa Technical Services said that fuel spills are a continuous problem in the community, and the smell in the nursing station is currently being attributed to mechanical problems that bring fumes inside the building.
There are high diabetes rates and other chronic health conditions in Neskantaga, which results in many community members require daily attention, said wanted.
If the government does not provide an immediate solution, he said, the community would consider organizing evacuations for its most vulnerable members.
Wayne Moonias, former Neskantaga chief, said that the needs of the community will be more severe the more they need to obtain a mobile medical care center.
“[It is] A very vulnerable situation at this time in the community, “said Wayne Moonias.” It is very afraid to think that if someone is in danger, which requires, for example, resuscitation, which may not be available. “
But with the durable legacy of boiling water advice, said Roy Moonias, the community lacks faith in the government’s commitment to Neskantaga.
“The government does not care,” said Roy Moonias.
“If this happened in an urban environment or municipality, immediate shares, immediate measures [would be taken]”
He wanted to echo the frustrations shared by Roy Moonias, saying that he hopes that the federal government will provide a faster response to the nursing station crisis than to the advice of boiling water.
“It’s very difficult for us to live like this,” said wanted.
