Protesters target planned cuts to refugee health care

Health care workers across the country took to the streets in protest Monday to decry planned cuts to medical services currently provided to refugees.

In one protest, hundreds of doctors in white coats gathered on Parliament Hill, saying cuts to refugee health programs will lead to a national public health crisis.

"We are launching into an uncontrolled, disastrous, human health experience by arbitrarily denying life-saving medical care to some of the most vulnerable and traumatized people in the whole world," said Dr. Mark Tyndall, the head of infectious diseases at the Ottawa hospital.

"And for what? Further isolation and suffering, the spread of infectious diseases, increased wait times at our hospital emergency departments. Canada is way better than this."

The workers are angry that the federal government is planning to end free dental, vision and prescription drugs offered to most refugee claimants through the Interim Federal Health (IFH), Canada's health insurance program for refugees.

With less than two weeks to go until the federal cuts kick in, the health workers planned protests outside federal government offices in 10 Canadian cities, from St. John's to Vancouver.

Ottawa has said it can save about $20 million a year with the cuts. But health groups and refugee advocates, such as Ottawa's Dr. Alison Eyre, said the move is unfair and hurts refugees when they need help the most.

"When people come new to Canada, they need help, that's one of the times they need the great amount of support, particularly refugees who have left everything," Eyre told CTV's Canada AM Monday.

"To deny these people health care, to deny them vision aid and dental care seems like a very harsh thing when you're trying to introduce people and encourage them to integrate well into the community."

Under the current system, health expenses are covered for people seeking asylum who are awaiting a decision, and those already accepted as refugees.

Health costs for those who live in a province where permanent residents have to wait for coverage under provincial medical plans have their expenses paid for by the federal government, as well.

Dental, vision care and prescription expenses currently received by those refugees who qualify are similar to what provinces offer people collecting social assistance.

Under the planned changes, health insurance will be restricted to "urgent or essential care." There will be no further coverage for regular, preventative care. As well, all refugees will lose access to medication coverage, vision and dental care through IFH.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has said that the changes will discourage "unfounded" refugees from taking advantage of Canada's generosity and health care system.

But Eyre said she's not convinced that refugees are cheating the health system. She said that cutting off all refugees because of a few violators doesn't make sense.

"It's kind of like going into a community and saying, ‘You know, we've noticed some people cheat at your high school, so we're going to shut the whole high school down and not allow anyone to have access to the education they need'," Eyre said.

"I've worked with refugees for the last 10 years, and I have never seen anyone who I felt was a bogus claim. I'm not saying they're not out there, but the majority of the people we get come from truly awful conditions," she says, adding that health care workers often have to go to great efforts to encourage refugees to come in for health care.

Eyre noted that while health insurance will be offered to "urgent or essential care," there will be no further coverage for preventative care.

"The problem is, as we know very well, money that is spent on prevention and early treatment is the money best spent in the health care system," she said.

Eyre said while the cuts won't mean that refugees will be denied emergency treatment, that's not enough. To diagnose a child, for example, with a seizure disorder, but to then deny that child access to affordable medication at a time when his parents don't have access to good jobs, seems to Eyre "like a harsh approach."

Monday's national day of action is endorsed by 15 health-related professional bodies, including the Canadian Paediatric Society, the Canadian Nurses Association, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and Canadian Association of Social Workers.