1999-2000 Annual Review, August 2000
Health Careers
Training and capacity building are essential parts of the Community Programs (CP) Directorate's
mandate to transfer control of health programs and policy to the First Nations
and Inuit. Through the First Nations and Inuit Health Career programs, First
Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) actively encourages people of First
Nations and Inuit ancestry to pursue post-secondary programs leading to health
careers, including environmental health and health administration.
Today there are more than 2,000 Aboriginal health workers, which includes
more than 800 nurses and 70 physicians; other occupations include lab technicians,
dentists, optometrists, pharmacists and health administrators. Discussions
on ways that CP might assist Aboriginal health workers organizations in working
more closely together to promote health careers for Aboriginal people began
in 1998-99 and continued in 1999/2000.
In 1998-99, the Directorate transferred the very successful Aboriginal scholarship
and bursary program to the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, although
it continues to offer the program funding support. The Directorate also supported
the Aboriginal Health Career Symposium in Ottawa in the fall of 1999.
2000-2001 Main Activities and Anticipated Outcomes:
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Support the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation in its administration and management of the bursaries and scholarship component of the Indian and Inuit Health Careers program.
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Support the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation's hosting of the March, 2001 Aboriginal Achievement Awards.
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Support the Inuit specific Nursing Program for Nunavut.
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