Health Care of Refugees in Canada Research Paper

Health Care of Refugees in Canada - Research Paper Example Industrialists and manufactures in Western countries like US and Canada were happy to welcome illegal workers who were ready to work at cheaper wages. According to recent data published, immigrants account for nearly one fifth of the Canadian population and this number still continues to grow. Undoubtedly, this chaotic situation leads to numerous social as well as health consequences in the country. Studies indicate that the number of people having precarious status and limited access to health is increasing in Canada. It is identified that refugees do not have proper access to health care and they struggle to pay for health care services in the country. Health care is a fundamental human right and hence it is the ethical obligation of medical practitioners to offer health care services to people regardless of one’s age, sex, or nationality. This paper will particularly discuss whether or not the refugees in Canada should have free access to the country’s health care sy stem. ... It seems that physicians who provide care to refugee families generally perform those tasks discretely. As a result, refugees in the country do not obtain the same level of care which is offered to Canadian citizens. Since uninsured refugees are compelled to pay for services received, help-seeking mentality is discouraged among this already vulnerable population. Clinicians claim that this lack of help seeking mentality among refugees can be directly linked to high levels of morbidity. Delayed care seeking also leads to issues like poor follow up for chronic diseases like diabetes, and growing prevalence of HIV and increased levels of mental illnesses. â€Å"In the case of children and youth, problems included delayed surgical interventions, prolonged absence of adequate care for acute mental health conditions (post-traumatic stress disorder and depression), and unavailability of rehabilitation services for children with autism and other developmental problems† (Rousseau et al , 2008). Currently, there are only a few organizations in Canada fighting for the health care needs of the refugee population in the country. Therefore, health organizations do not give particular attention to delivering health services to refugees on time and effectively. In the words of Muggah, Dahrouge, and Hogg (2012), language difficulties and cultural as well as societal influences become a barrier for refugees in Canada to access quality health services. As per reports, the Federal government has decided to limit refugees’ health coverage to services that are â€Å"of an urgent or essential nature† (Wayne, 2012). The government has also planned to provide the refugee population with medications and