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Watch more videos > Dr.Soma Ganesan, MD, FRCPC > Dr. Arminee Kazanjian > Sarah Bowen, Ph.D. |
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 Speech of Chris Friesen( Audio Total Time: 6min 10sec ) |
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| ( Chris Friesen - Video Total Time: 6 min 10 sec ) | ||||
| Chris Friesen, Director of Settlement Services at the Immigrant Services Society of Canada (ISS) began the panel by discussing the specific needs of the refugee population. The 2002 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) which replaced the former Immigration Act, created a shift in the policy framework towards the protection of refugees. This has meant a dramatic rise in the number of medically compromised or special needs refugees that settle in BC. While at an institutional level there may exist programs to assist refugees in accessing and utilizing health care services, those programs, most often interpreter services, frequently stop short when appointments with family physicians, specialists, and medical labs are required. This leaves refugees in a difficult position and immigrant service agencies, such as ISS, regularly filling the gap - generally with few resources to spare. This increased pressure on the immigrant services sector to extend their assistance, mainly through providing interpreter services, extracts from an already small pool of resources. The main challenge is to find interpreter services. While language is not the only impediment to access it is commonly the one that is first and most intensely felt. As a result of the inconsistency and the lack of services, clients may miss appointments with specialists and other medical practitioners or medical practitioners may cancel appointments when the clients arrive and they find that they do not speak English. |
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• Include the costs for interpreter services under the Medical Services Plan (MSP) or the
Interim Federal Health (IFH) Program for Immigrants.
• Add a Mental Health component to the existing Vancouver Community College Interpreter Training Programs • Include Multicultural Health Care Brokers as an integral part of the health care system • Include a mental health assessment under the Interim Federal Health (IFH) Program for all refugees |
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