Marginalized Groups: Healthcare Inequities for Canada's Refugees

Healthcare is a fundamental human need, akin to food and shelter. This need becomes even more critical for refugees fleeing war zones or facing injustice. However, the struggle to access healthcare does not necessarily end immediately upon their arrival in Canada.

Social exclusion, trauma, and oppression hinder refugees from accessing healthcare in Canada. Despite immigration policy shifts, systematic oppression persists, exemplified by discriminatory limitations in the current Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) (Saberpor, 2016). This clearly shows how marginalized groups are at a higher risk due to policy swings.

In 2012, cuts to Canada's IFHP aggravated refugee health disparities. The reforms, driven by cost-cutting, shifted financial responsibility to provinces, leading to significant social and human costs. The 2014 reforms expanded coverage but fell short of addressing the issues. By April 1, 2016, the new government reinstated comprehensive IFHP coverage, committing to ‘restoring fairness’ (Antonipillai et al., 2018).

Achieving equitable healthcare for refugees is possible through measures like language training, confidential health interpreters, community and institutional support for resource-strapped centers, and addressing provincial disparities. This includes emphasizing consistent coverage, eliminating waiting periods, and urging federal action to improve the IFHP (Saberpor, 2016).

Initiatives such as the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigration Healthcare help bridge the gap, where volunteer doctors, nurses, and community members step in to provide free healthcare services to refugees facing barriers in accessing medical services. Many refugees encounter delays before obtaining public health coverage, sometimes lasting for years (The Canadian Centre for Refugee & Immigrant Health Care, n.d.).

Canada's experience underscores the importance of robust health policies for refugees, requiring comprehensive approaches. Promoting preventative healthcare among newcomers is important to ultimately improve their health, as this aspect is often overlooked while they struggle to make ends meet and put food on the table (Newbold & McKeary, 2018), with far-reaching impacts on social, human, and economic dimensions.

References

Antonipillai, V., Baumann, A., Hunter, A., Wahoush, O., & O’Shea, T. (2018). Health Inequity and “Restoring Fairness” Through the Canadian Refugee Health Policy Reforms: A Literature Review. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 20(1), 203–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0486-z

Newbold, K. B., & McKeary, M. (2018). Journey to Health: (Re) Constextualizing the Health of Canada’s Refugee Population. Journal of Refugee Studies, 31(4), 687–704. https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fjrs%2Ffey009

Saberpor, T. (2016). Refugee and Asylum Seekers in Canada: Barriers to Health Care Services. Glendon Journal of International Studies, 9. https://gjis.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/gjis/article/view/40238

The Canadian Centre for Refugee & Immigrant Health Care. (n.d.). The Canadian Centre for Refugee & Immigrant Health Care—About Us. Retrieved November 9, 2023, from https://www.healthequity.ca/about-us/