Facing calls to increase transparency, the Government of the Northwest Territories has offered an update on its implementation of third-party recommendations following a 2017 investigation into the death of Hugh Papik.
Papik died in 2016 after suffering a stroke that was reportedly dismissed by staff as drunkenness. The subsequent probe, carried out by the Aboriginal Healing Foundation's Marlyn Cook, resulted in 16 recommendations being put forward to the GNWT's health department, including calls for more Indigenous representation in healthcare and cultural safety training.
The GNWT released the recommendations in February 2017, but with little being released on how the guidelines were being implemented, Papik's niece, Stephanie Papik, sought an update, prompting a response from the territorial government.
"We are preparing an update of these recommendations and will be sharing this with the family in the coming weeks," Damien Healy, the health department's communications manager, wrote in an email last week.
Echoing previous comments made by Health Minister Glen Abernethy – who pledged to tackle "systemic racism" following the investigation's completion – Healy wrote, "many of the recommendations put forth in the critical incident report are aligned with our current work that is underway at the department of health and social services."
Highlighting steps already taken by the territorial government to address the death of Papik, Healy cited the November 2016 release of Building a Culturally Respective Health and Social Services, a "framework to build a ... system that is culturally safe and respectful for all patients and clients across the NWT."
While the GNWT made public the 16 recommendations made by the external investigation, the entire report has not been released, and won't be, according to Healy, who told News/North its publication is prohibited by law. Healy added the health department is working closely with "other government departments to enhance program and service delivery to our patients"