This year's theme for World Health Day is “My health, my right." It was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere, to have access to the things human beings need to be healthy – including quality health services, education, information, safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.

These critical determinants of health are still not accessible to many First Nations people as a direct consequence of colonialism, as well as systemic and structural racism.

The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) was created to address health inequities – inequalities caused by human behaviour such as racism in the health system, or harmful institutional/governmental policies. Our Shared Vision of “Healthy, Self-Determining, and Vibrant BC First Nations Children, Families, and Communities" is a reminder of what we are working toward every day.

To this end, we are working to transform the province's health care system – and take our place within it – so that First Nations people in BC have access to culturally safe, high-quality health care; to enhance First Nations health governance; to promote the BC First Nations Perspective on Health and Wellness; and to advance excellence in programs and services.

We wholeheartedly agree with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) that, “Indigenous individuals have the right to access – without any discrimination – all social and health services" and that, “Indigenous peoples have the right to use their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals, and minerals." 

If you would like to know more about the FNHA's work, you might be interested in reading our Summary Service Plan, Paddling Together: First Nations Health Authority Health and Wellness Plan. It builds on what we have learned and heard through engagements with First Nations across BC, and will guide us through the next phase in our journey.

Taking care of one another is all of our work. Let's help one another be the best that we can be.