New immigrants face issues of health care in Canada
by Harleen Kaur - September 15, 2010
Canada, 15th September: Immigrants in Canada and the US experience a worrying declining health after arriving in new nations, reveal findings of a latest report.
Moreover, new immigrants also have relatively poorer access to facilities of health care in both these nations as compared to the facilities for native-born.
The report from Hamilton states that significant decline in health of new comers in Canada and the US is largely due to stress factors in integration in the new communities along with poorer availability of health care services in these nations.
Dr. Bruce Newbold, the lead author of the report and a professor at Institute of Environment and Health, McMaster University, states the declining health of immigrants as a serious issue.
And if the nations like Canada and the US want to ensure successful integration of new immigrants, then the first and foremost priority should be to assure them of good health since it is beneficial for all, the immigrants as well as the nations.
The report findings are based on the data of nearly 12,000 refugees as well as immigrants in Canada between the years 2000 and 2001 which was compared with the figures of next four years.
The figures form part of the Statistics Canada database which aims to find how much successfully new immigrants have integrated into their new societies in Canada or the US.
Hamilton attracts nearly 3,500 new immigrants each year making it among the top five preferred destination cities for immigration by refugees and immigrants.
Hence, the findings are of great significance to this Canadian city.
The report findings maintain that immigrants had better health as compared to the average Canadians on arrival in Canada. However, within a span of 2 to 5 years after their immigration to Canada, their health started declining.
Refugees, on the other hand, were found to be having marginally poor health due to their deplorable living conditions in their native nations or due to violence or trauma faced by them before their immigration in Canada. And their health worsens after arrival in Canada, the report suggests.
Hence, there is a great and an immediate need for improving facilities of health care in Canada for immigrants and refugees, Newbold asserted.
The report is to be presented at McMaster Innovation Park on September 23 by the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council.
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