Santaya Tyo-Greyeyes died late last month at Norway House Cree Nation.
On June 27, Santaya’s mother, Angel Tyo, brought her daughter to a community clinic.  The young lady had a fever, was vomiting and had difficulty breathing.
“They didn’t try her, so they didn’t open a case,” Bernadette Smith, Tio’s sister, said at a news conference Thursday.
Smith explained that her sister was told to take her daughter home, give her Tylenol and monitor her symptoms.  Tyo followed these instructions and monitored her daughter’s condition throughout the night.
On June 28, Santaya’s mom checked on her during a nap and found she wasn’t breathing.  The family rushed her to the hospital where she died.
Smith, who is Point Douglas MLA, said the family believes Santaya’s death is a result of a lack of health care in northern communities.
“Sandaya should have been judged.  A nurse had to look at her, a doctor.  They should have assessed her breathing,” he said.
“They did none of that and it resulted in my sister losing her daughter and Jeff [Santaya’s dad] he loses his daughter”.
Smith said the family is working with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc.  (MKO), the First Nations Children’s Advocate and the Manitoba Child and Youth Advocate to initiate an active investigation.
“Because Santaya was not triaged, there was no paper trail showing that she was in the hospital, but there are videos that they keep at that clinic,” he said.
“So we’re asking the Manitoba Children and Youth Advocate to hopefully secure this video.”
Smith noted that the family has heard from other people that they are not receiving adequate health care in the north.
“We need better healthcare and we will also fight for justice for Sadaya,” he said.
“She doesn’t have a voice, so we have to be her voice now.”
Santaya Tyo-Greyeyes is pictured in an undated image (Credit: Sabrina Leister)
In a statement, MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee said he sends his sincere condolences to Santaya’s family and community.
“Our hearts are heavy when we lose a child,” she said.
Settee added that his office has been in contact with the family and will seek answers surrounding the girl’s death.  He said they need to find out if and where the hail system failed in Santaya to make sure no more children are hurt.
“Our health system is broken.  The provincial and federal governments must take immediate action to fix and improve health services in our First Nations,” he said.
Settee said MKO is committed to working with the provincial and federal governments to strengthen the health care system.
He noted that the organization will work with other indigenous organizations to ensure that Santaya’s family finds appropriate resources and support.
The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth released a statement to CTV Winnipeg on Friday.
“The Manitoba Children and Youth Advocate receives notification of all deaths involving young people under the age of 21 in Manitoba,” a spokesperson said.  “We can confirm that this matter falls within the scope of the Children’s Youth Advocate Act, but that is all we can confirm at this time.”
A spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada offered condolences to the family for the loss and said the department is working to ensure health care needs are met in First Nations Communities.
“We are aware of the concerns raised about the care provided at the Norwegian House Cree Nation Health Center and Community Clinic and are working with partners to review this incident in accordance with ISC’s incident management policy.  We cannot comment further on potential actions at this time,” the spokesperson said.