Refugee Health Care

health care: As a family doctor in suburban Ontario, I know that health care for refugees is smart public health policy. Two years ago, my medical colleagues and I were stunned when the federal government implemented dramatic cuts to refugee health care funding. This has made it increasingly difficult for us to provide necessary care to refugees, according to The Star. Cuts to refugee health care are dangerous not only from a public health perspective, but from an economic perspective. Last weeks ruling made this clear by stating that there is no reliable evidence of the extent to which the 2012 changes to the will result in cost savings at the federal level. Moreover it appears that some of the cost of medical services that was previously covered under the has now simply been downloaded to the provinces and Cuts to refugee health care unnecessarily harm the most vulnerable in our society and go against our fundamental values as Canadians. On Friday, the Federal Court of Canada confirmed what both Liberals and health care providers have long been saying that the Conservative governments cuts to refugee health care are cruel and unusual. Refugees have been denied access to essential primary care and to tests that could identify treatable illnesses. Thankfully, many provincial governments have picked up the bill for some refugee health care costs; in provinces that have not, hospitals, clinics and providers have absorbed the costs directly. Many of these costs could have been minimized or entirely avoided through the formerly robust Interim Federal Health Program (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.