By Leah Sarah Peer (General member, The Young Canadians Roundtable on Health)
With the federal election around the corner, it is time we reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has exacerbated numerous health inequities and the inadequacies of our current healthcare system. The pandemic has laid bare the need for urgent action and for our country’s officials to do better.
As a medical student, Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Ambassador, the Executive Director of the Peer Medical Foundation (PMF), and a fellow citizen, I am urging all candidates to commit to real action that improves the health and well-being of children and youth in Canada.
Approximately eight million Canadian children and youth will not be able to vote in this federal election but will be directly impacted by its result and policies. Below are a few urgent areas in the child and youth sector that leaders should prioritize:
Research for Childhood Illnesses and Medication
Canada is the only country with a universal public health system that excludes drug coverage. It is outrageous that there is a lack of access to essential medications. This not only undermines the physical and mental health and well-being of all Canadians, but places children and youth at additional barriers accessing affordable and effective medications of appropriate formulations.
Research often prioritizes funding for adult diseases over childhood illnesses, neglecting the importance of recognizing and respecting that children deserve the same standards for drug safety, efficacy, availability, and access. It is time for robust policies governing the development, approval and use for drugs in the paediatric population and that a national pharmacare program be implemented.
Research must provide paediatric-specific data that guides clinicians. 1 in 15 children are born with rare diseases. This means that over 70% of all rare diseases manifesting in childhood translates to 1 in 4 paediatric hospital beds that will be occupied by a child with a rare disease. It is crucial that children with rare diseases are not neglected nor forgotten in this election.
Address Historic & Systemic Barriers to Care for BIPOC Youth & Children
The atrocities of the residential school and the discovery of the unmarked graves serve as a reminder of the colonial trauma endured by Indigenous peoples, and the importance of prioritizing cultural practices (e.g. Elders looking after children) that are core to resilience and wellness. It is imperative that steps be taken to ensure that residential schools are not a forgotten chapter in our history.
Without coordinated action between communities, Indigenous leaders, health providers, and governments, gaps in health outcomes will widen. It is time that policies and practices address historic and systemic barriers to care and living conditions that have unfairly affected BIPOC children and youth in Canada. We must promote a culturally-safe and trauma-informed care environment, and ensure patients and families are confident in the care they receive.
Providers must learn about and address the structural inequalities and impacts of colonialism that undermine child and family wellness. We must learn about each patient and family’s background and understand interconnected factors affects their health needs. Providers must screen children and their families for social determinants of health such as poverty, housing, and clean water availability It is time to partner with BIPOC community organizations to support high-risk families through measures such as phone check-ins, mental health counselling, food delivery or grocery gift cards, or even ensuring the availability of technology and the Internet to maintain healthy relationships with isolated family members.
Prioritize Children & Youth Access to Mental Health Care Services
Lastly, even before the pandemic, long wait times, a lack of access to quality mental health services, and support for children and youth were issues of serious concern. The effects of the pandemic have eroded mental health. Wellness centres are seeing unprecedented numbers of youth reporting to the emergency room with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, substance misuse and eating disorders. It is time to implement a nationally funded system that is transparent, accountable, and supports improvements in mental health outcomes in children, youth and their families. It is time to fund evidence-based mental health care for children and youth as well as educational resources, training and programs that increase professionals’ competencies in paediatric mental health care.
It is time we do better for children and youth in advocating for their health and well-being. Our health system should support access not only to high-cost medications but to equitable, comprehensive care that ensures optimal outcomes for all children and youth in Canada.
Leah Sarah Peer is a medical student at Saint James School of Medicine in Chicago, USA. She holds a Bachelor of Science with a Specialization in Biology and a Minor in Human Rights from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Mingling her passion for medicine with her human rights endeavours, Leah aspires to serve humanity beyond the bounds of medical knowledge.
