NDP MPPs Howard Hampton (Kenora—Rainy River) and France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) are calling on the McGuinty government to provide the healthcare resources needed to stop the spread of the H1N1 flu virus in Northern Ontario’s First Nations communities and address the underlying conditions that are making these communities more vulnerable.

Hampton and Gélinas noted the specific challenges in remote nursing stations and inadequate public health resources that First Nations communities have on hand to fight the spread of H1N1 – challenges which are not currently being addressed.

“The majority of remote First Nations communities have nursing stations that already stretched to the limit,” said Hampton. “Nurses in these communities are already struggling to provide care to all who need it; so when an outbreak of H1N1 affects even five people, there is simply no capacity to stretch healthcare resources further.”

Hampton is calling on the McGuinty government to make additional public health resources available to First Nation communities.

“Northern First Nations communities have very limited public health resources – yet it is these public health initiatives which are fundamental to protecting communities from widespread outbreaks,” said Gélinas. “The Ontario government has public health resources available and a commitment must be made to bring those resources to the remote First Nations communities that are now at risk of contracting the H1N1 virus.”

Gélinas, the NDP’s Health Critic, pointed to the harsh living conditions in many remote First Nations communities.

“When two or three families – 10 to 15 people – are forced to live in a two bedroom house because of chronic housing shortages, health status is compromised and disease can spread at a rapid rate. The chronic housing shortages must be addressed by both levels of government,” she said.

“When cases of the H1N1 virus first occurred in Southern Ontario, there were daily press conferences and promises that all available health resources would be deployed. However when there are serious outbreaks of the virus in remote Northern First Nation communities, there is no urgency to the response,” noted Gelinas.

“This is unacceptable. Northern First Nations Communities must be provided the appropriate resources in order to address the threat of H1N1 before tragedy strikes.”