In 2020, a group of physicians shared their concerns about racism and inequity in the medical profession and in Saskatchewan’s medical education system, so USask’s College of Medicine invited the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission to investigate and as a result, a report was released this week.

It gives examples, like Indigenous women being coerced into tubal ligation procedures within the Saskatoon Health Region, which the Saskatchewan Health Authority apologized for in 2017, and in May of 2020, a 20-year-old Black Canadian, Samwel Uko, who sought emergency care for a mental health issue at the Regina General Hospital, was turned away and was later found dead in Wascana Lake.

Some students and staff in the College of Medicine also reported encounters of discrimination or microaggressions. A news release from the University of Saskatchewan says there have been advances since the report was initiated including doubling the number of seats for Indigenous people in the medical doctor program, increased resources focused on Indigenous health, and improvements in the student complaint process.

The college and the SHRC continue to work together on how the issues identified in the report will be addressed.