On September 30, Canada observed National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A 77-year-old Indigenous man claims he was beaten and subjected to racial discrimination at Regina General Hospital.
Thomas Favel spoke out alongside the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) at First Nations University in Regina on Tuesday in an effort to bring awareness to the incident, telling reporters he was assaulted and forcefully restrained while asleep.
Favel claimed, “I was sound sleeping, but the moment he grabbed me, I woke up. When he pushed me on my feet, I landed on my feet, and I can’t run or walk very well, and he pushed me towards the door.
“The guy grabbed me again and slammed me on this side. I’m damaged from here to the hip,” the man said. “The lady grabbed me and pulled me back.
He was being treated for pneumonia and bronchitis at the time of the alleged occurrence.
Favel continued, saying that because of his condition, he was unable to cough or spit in his constrained posture while lying on the bed.
I was lying on my back flat. A week or two ago, I believed I was going to pass away. I would suffocate with my own mucus,” he declared.
His family is outraged by the alleged mistreatment.
At a press conference, Favel’s daughter Ann, Ewenin, said: “When they held him down, he questioned them why are you doing this to me, I never ran away from residential school and you’re treating me like residential school and you’re wearing these orange shirts.”
“They wouldn’t check her father when the floor doctor visited him. They would stand two feet away from him because of his brown skin, and they would send him home telling him it was viral, viral infections,” Ewenin said.
The FSIN backs up the family’s assertions, stating that this is solely because of the colour of his skin.
“This is a case of medical malpractice, racial discrimination, and human rights. You’re going to learn the names of the nurses who haven’t been identified here. We’ll investigate this. Bobby Cameron, the head of FSIN, promised that “we’re going to find out what’s going on.”
When I noticed the marks on him on Sunday, I called the police and reported him. “Nobody should have to come home like that when they are seeking help, so now we have to seek justice and help for him,” Ewenin said.
Cameron continued by saying that when he spoke to Thomas and her family this morning, they expressed their desire for this to never occur to another person.
They don’t want anyone else to experience what he has, including being falsely accused of attempting to flee.
Try to concentrate on Thomas here as he tries to flee. To be accused of trying to flee when it’s already not very mobile, he remarked.
Cameron said that if the people responsible for the alleged abuse don’t resign, they (FSIN) are going to call for their termination and support taking any legal action necessary along the way.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) provided the following statement in response to the allegations: “We are very sorry to hear about the concerns being raised by this family, and are working to ensure that conversations with family and their supports, formal safety event processes and appropriate medical investigations are completed. “ We are unable to speak further owing to privacy considerations, however we do take issues like these very seriously.
The SHA is dedicated to ensuring everyone’s daily physical, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental safety. One aspect of which is providing access to First Nations and Metis Health services, which include access to cultural support workers and patient navigators to assist in communication between health-care teams and patients and families.
All staff employees are accountable for promoting a culture of safety under SHA’s Culture of Safety policy, which includes disclosing, looking into, and resolving harmful work behaviours and/or conditions. Staff members of the Saskatchewan Health Authority continue to adhere to the adult least mechanical restraint policy when using restraints.
Staff are to have exhausted all alternative nursing interventions before implementing a restrictive device/restraint for the shortest amount of time necessary.
The Regina Police Services inquiry is being assisted by SHA.
Indigenous man, 77, accuses Regina General Hospital staff of bigotry and assault
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