COVID-19 exposing cracks in our universal healthcare
Refugee Health
It’s time to make Canada’s healthcare truly universal
With US travel ban, Canada must end migrant detention
US travel bans and executive orders: How the Canadian health community can respond
Paula
Siffan
Inas
One year later: Are Syrian refugees finding the PTSD support they need?
Health care for Syrian refugees: is Canada ready?
This month, the first surge of Syrian refugees will arrive in Canada. They’ll enter in remarkable numbers, with 25,000 arriving before the end of February, and as many as 25,000 more in the rest of 2016. That’s a victory to many who fought to allow them in – but the work isn’t done. Having their first …
Fatima
Time for a human rights-based approach to refugee health
June 16th, 2014 will mark the 3rd National Day of Action to Stop Cuts to Refugee Health Care in Canada. Concerned members of the Canadian public and healthcare providers across the country will again join forces to protest the changes that were made to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) in 2012. The IFHP was …
Butchering refugee health care is lose-lose for Canada
It’s a sad day for refugees looking to Canada for protection. Today, Jason Kenney and the Conservative government announced a controversial list of countries that will determine who does and does not get access to healthcare in this country. This ‘Designated Countries of Origin‘ or so-called ‘safe countries’ list singles out refugee claimants from certain countries fast-tracking …
Immigrant women access health care differently
In recent weeks, I have read several reports on the health of immigrants in Canada. All these reports are unanimous in their conclusion that immigrants are healthier than Canadians when they arrive in Canada. However, over a 10 year period, their health deteriorates, with increasing rates of heart disease, hypertension, blood pressure, autism, diabetes and …
Ten reasons why the refugee health care cuts are a bad idea
In 2011, Su-Yun Kim and her husband arrived in Canada hoping for a better life, as many refugee claimants do. In North Korea where they were born and raised, Su-Yun’s husband was involved in political activity, necessitating that they flee from their loved ones and their home for safety. With difficulty, they managed to escape …
The new refugee health care plan – am I understanding it correctly?
Starting July 1st, 2012, the Government plans to eliminate health care services to some refugee claimants and significantly reduce services to others. Refugee claimants will get basic health care in urgent/essential situations, i.e., if they are rushed to the hospital or if they have communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, which could pose a risk to Canadians. …
Passing the buck: cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program will just mean greater costs for the provinces
The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) was established in 1957 to provide temporary coverage of medical costs for refugee claimants without financial means while they await qualification for provincial or territorial coverage. Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney recently introduced changes to the IFHP that have prompted outcry across the country from physicians and …