We can’t build a truly universal healthcare system without race-based data

In an opinion piece entitled “We can’t build a truly universal healthcare system without race-based data,” Sylvia Okonofua examines the harms caused by the fact that the Canadian healthcare system does not collect or report on key equity indicators. She argues that policy-makers should embrace anti-colonial, anti-racist approaches to health data — not only to improve health outcomes for BIPOC communities, but to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare for all.

Sylvia Okonofua is pursuing a Masters of Public Health in Black Health at University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Black Donors Save Lives, a national nonprofit organization working to close the gap in access to lifesaving blood, stem cell, organ, and tissue donations for African, Caribbean, and Black communities across Canada.