May 21st, 2020 – At a moment of public health crisis in Canada due to COVID-19, the Healthcare for All National Coalition is calling on the federal government to work closely with provincial and territorial governments to ensure access to healthcare for all people living in Canada. Together with over 200 civil society organizations from coast-to-coast, the coalition has sent an open letter to the federal government calling for access to healthcare for all people living in Canada, including those currently living in detention, regardless of immigration and citizenship status.
Signatories to the open letter include Atlantic-based organizations such as No One is Illegal – Halifax/K’jipuktuk, the Halifax Refugee Clinic, the Nova Scotia Association of Community Health Centres, the PEI Action Team for Migrant Workers (Cooper Institute) and the PEI Working Group for a Livable Income. In Nova Scotia, there is an ongoing campaign to ensure access to healthcare for uninsured migrants, including an open letter addressed to provincial officials.
Carole Benedicte Ze, a refugee claimant from Cameroon who was initially refused access to testing after contracting COVID-19 while volunteering at a Montreal care home, said “It was hard for me to access testing, so just imagine how much worse it is for people who have no status. Nobody should be refused health care when they are sick, no matter what their status. We all need care.”
The network is calling on the federal government, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, to ensure that health coverage is available to all, regardless of immigration status and that this policy change has a clear implementation plan in all hospitals and health centres. In addition, the coalition asks that these facilities be reminded of their ongoing legal obligation to protect patient privacy and not share information with Canada Border Services Agency. They are asking for further clarification to the CBSA and general public that people should not be subjected to detention or deportation when or after accessing healthcare.
Access to healthcare is a major determinant of health, even outside of the context of a pandemic – as such, the coalition also calls on the federal government, acting in concert with provincial and territorial governments, to ensure all above measures are made permanent.
“An Injury to One is An Injury to All. We need to understand that health problems in any community affect the whole society. Denying proper access to migrant, Black, Indigenous or People of Colour communities is unacceptable, and weakens any federal or provincial health strategy.” – Marcos Luciano, Director of Migrante Alberta, which is a member of the Migrant Rights Network.
Dr. Sandy Buchman, President of the Canadian Medical Association also said, “A global pandemic has shown us, now more than ever, that we must ensure equitable access to health care for all. And we must always strive to provide access to care for all people living in Canada.”
The letter with over 200 organizational signatories has been sent to the federal government, with copies to provincial and territorial governments. The coalition awaits a response.
Please direct general inquiries to healthcare4allcoalition@gmail.com
Makes no sense in a pandemic to pick and choose who is tested.What health program thought that was a good idea?Wake up we are in serious trouble as a world.Viruses do not have boundaries, which has been already proven by our dire circumstances right now.
Apparently, the reason for restricting testing is because there is a shortage of the test kits. We have no idea how many people actually have Covid-19 as at least 50% of those infected have no symptoms and therefore, are not going to be tested. Even people who have symptoms have been turned away due to the shortage. The WHO and CDC, etc. should have known a pandemic could strike at any moment. They had a long time to make sure governments were prepared, including making sure test kits and PPE were well stocked in every country. The companies that manufacture disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer failed to have stockpiles as well.