The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, Métis Nation of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency signed a $1 million memorandum of understanding Monday morning to enhance cancer surveillance in Aboriginal communities.
The project will specifically work with the English River First Nation Health Clinic, Ochapowace First Nation and Battleford Tribal Council Indian Health Centre as part of this cancer surveillance.
MNS President Robert says the goal of the MOU is to increase understanding of what types of cancer rates are afflicting Aboriginal people in the province.
“Well, right now with respect to Métis people, there is no clear data about incidences, high or low, of cancer,” he says. “There is no reliable data that has been collected to this point.”
FSIN Vice-Chief Kimberley Jonathan says it is known certain types of cancer are afflicting Aboriginal communities and hard numbers will provide health care providers with ideas as to how to best move forward.
“We know we have a high rate of breast cancer, lung cancer – but to have that on paper and to have sound strategies going forward on how do we effectively educate from infancy, how do we do that to prevent and ensure that we are indeed at the end of the day cancer free is our goal,” she says.
Saskatchewan Cancer Agency Vice-President Dr. Jon Tonita adds by increasing the surveillance of how cancer is afflicting First Nations and Métis people, it will give health care providers a better idea of what types of specific programming should be targeted toward these populations.
“Once we have that in place, we can look at the data and it will help tell us what the problems are,” he says. “So, for example, if we see that lung cancer is a much higher disease in this group than it is say in the rest of the population, then okay, well, there’s probably more we need to do on the tobacco front.”
Funding for the MOU is being provided by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.
Saskatchewan is one of nine jurisdictions working with the partnership to increase knowledge of how the disease is affecting Indigenous communities.
The MOU signing was held at the MNS offices in Saskatoon.