[homeles_ot-l] June 16th Day of Action on refugee health care - noon on the Hill - please circulate

[Linda Lalonde]

Hi folks,






Many of you will remember that the federal government unilaterally cut the funding for the Interim Federal Health (IFH) program which provided health care services for refugees two years ago. After a huge pushback from the community and the provinces, they made some minor changes but the core of the program is still gone meaning that essentially, other than for life-threatening conditions, refugees have no health care.

On Monday June 16th, there will be a Day of Action across the country and the Ottawa component is a rally at noon on Parliament Hill. The Community Health Centres are helping to organize it and you can find more information about the IFH program cuts as well as the rally at:  http://bit.ly/1pyE62p.

These cuts have had drastic effects on refugees since they have no access to any preventative health care and only have 'curative' care covered when they are either a danger to the rest of the community, i.e. have a communicable disease, or face life-threatening illness. In some cases, they are having their care provided in the community by doctors and healthcare providers who aren't being funded to do it which puts a strain on already tight budgets. Aside from the human cost and the injustice, it does not make economic sense not to provide primary care to refugees. Fixing problems is rarely as cost-effective as stopping them from happening. 

These cuts are wrong on so many levels. Even this government should understand the cost of lost days at work or school and the benefits of prevention including proper child and maternal care. Aren't they playing the lead internationally on funding child and maternal health programs? Or is that an essential and life-saving medical need only if you live in some other country? When families have to cover their health care costs, those funds have to come out of their food and housing budgets leaving them unable to meet their basic needs. Should people be at food banks, missing work, getting evicted or living with untreated medical issues because, in Canada in 2014, they have no health care?

We need to continue to push the federal government to reverse their decision and fully fund all health care for refugees across Canada. Please come to the rally on Monday and pass this on to your networks.

Thanks,

Linda.
 
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.” 
 Maya Angelou
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