About 500 health professionals from Canada and elsewhere gathered in Halifax on Friday to discuss the health issues of refugees and migrants. Participation fell halfway compared to last year, with a reduced presence of American stakeholders.
Last year, 75 % of participants in the international conference came from the United States. This year, their number has decreased sharply.
According to the DRE Annalee Coakleyorganizer of the event, several participants preferred not to come for fear of having difficulty returning to the United States-especially those who were not born there-due to the migration policies of the administration Trump. In addition, several organizations have undergone a reduction in federal funding.
It’s sad, we are all here to do good. We are all committed to helping people. It’s distressing that just wanting to help someone can cause you trouble
explains Rachel Talavlikar, family doctor from Calgary and present at the event.
For Chantale Arsenault, nurse practitionerBrunswicktensions surrounding refugees and immigrants in the United States push them to turn to Canada as a spare solution.
Nurse practitioner from New Brunswick, Chantale Arsenault, is delighted to have participated in the international conference with several doctors.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Agathe Boucart
We see more and more asylum seekers. I have some families who arrive from the United States, which we did not necessarily see five years ago, for example.
Amir Suleiman, a refugee from Sudan, describes Canada as a welcoming country and attentive to the situation of refugees.
The Canadian refugee, Amir Suleiman, is present at the conference to share his story.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Agathe Boucart
What is good is that in Canada, they take care of refugees. They also provide drugs for free. It’s the best thing, and I really appreciate it.
Although he has been in Canada for only five months, he explains now feeling Canadian, having chosen this new land to stay there definitively.
The way I am treated here in Canada makes me want to stay. I will only leave if a serious situation forces me, otherwise I want to stay here.
Towards an interprorvincial health approach
Several health professionals present at the event insist on the importance of strengthening collaboration around procedures related to the care of refugees and migrants, in order to facilitate their access and improve the organization of these services.
When we look at what the Halifax clinic accomplishes, we see that it is possible. We share all our methods so that each, even in other provinces, can benefit from it
explains Chantale Arsenault.
Each province faces different health challenges for refugees. This is why we collaborate to understand how it goes, for example, in Nova Scotia, and thus learn from each other
says Rachel Talavlikar.
Family doctor, Rachel Talavlikar, came from Alberta to attend the event.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Agathe Boucart
In addition, according to the family doctor, the linguistic barrier, the migratory course and the lived trauma considerably complicate medical care.
With information from Shaina Luck, CBC
