Mother of First Nation woman who couldn’t get medical transport and died seeks reform

By Liam Casey and Alessia Passafiume If only. It’s a phrase that plays over and over again in Eva Mamakwa’s mind. If only her daughter, Miranda Mamakwa, had made it to at least one followup appointment after open-heart surgery, she may be alive. If only Indigenous Services Canada’s non-insured health benefits program had arranged travel for just one of her four missed appointments, Miranda may be alive. The 31-year-old mother of three from Fort Severn First Nation died on Sept. 8, weeks after asking people on social media to seek action in case of her death. “I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” Eva Mamakwa said in an interview with The Canadian Press from her home before falling quiet, overcome with emotion. She is speaking out about her…

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