meb rashid

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

Opinion: Smith and Poilievre find someone to blame for their problems: immigrants /via @globeandmail https://t.co/Dnpg04tOvy

[Raghu Venugopal MD @raghu_venugopal]

There's key threats to Canadian's health and there's the notion of human decency. This Conservative MAGA idea to limit healthcare to newcomers is so far off the mark. It's xenophobic, crass and policy distraction. It's a move by someone failing in polls.👇👇👇...See below

Leader Poilievre's claim that asylum seekers and refugee claimants are overburdening our healthcare system is a bold-faced lie. It is not true.

I have never once had a busy ER shift (where I faced challenges of where to see patients, how long they waited or how long they waited for a hospital bed) and felt the need to blame newcomers. "Mass, out of control Liberal immigration" has never - not once - been a challenge in my full-time ER practise.

One of the most grave problems facing Canada's hospitals is overcrowding. That leads to ER overcrowding and no place to see new patients. I work in Canada's largest city - Toronto - which plays host to a large number of newcomers.

Newcomers have no role - no role - in this serious hospital overcrowding problem.

Ontario is planning a serious funding limit to Ontario hospitals. We are going to lose hospital beds, nurses and PSWs. This has nothing to do with newcomers. Rather, it is a cynical political choice. This is the threat.

I'm an emergency doctor. Limiting healthcare to anyone for an "emergency" only is idiotic policy.

Emergencies start with untreated medical problems. ER care is one of the most expensive forms of healthcare in Canada. It is far more advantageous to taxpayers to have medical problems dealt with before they are an emergency and require invasive treatment, complex tests or admission to hospital. I would think Conservatives would understand that - but I guess I'm wrong.

Treating only "emergencies" is a threat to public health. It's medically stupid. A newcomer with a cough should be dealt with. Waiting until that person is coughing blood, losing weight and gets diagnosed with tuberculosis in the ER is stupid because at that point they have spread this serious disease everywhere.

Anal pain is often not an "emergency" but an anal fissure or hemorrhoid can be hell. Our Supreme Court already ruled in 2012 that the last time Conservatives tried to do this - it was cruel and unusual.

Maybe it's not a Poilievre Conservative thing - but It's a Canadian thing that if people are in pain and they are on our shores - we should render them assistance even if it is not a medical "emergency". That's human decency at play, something I think Canadians value.

Supplemental insurance for things like dental care is important - from a human dignity to economic perspective. You can try to cut off people's access to dental care but guess what - they are going to come to the ER - and we in the ER are one of the most expensive forms of healthcare out there.

The key here is to give people a decision about their immigration status and the immigration system do its job. While the immigration system is working - people should have healthcare. Fix the immigration system - don't be mean and cruel to human beings.

And so - why are we doing this now? Newcomer numbers have already been slashed. The Canadian government is already limiting supplemental insurance and planning to speed up immigration proceedings. By way of Canada's slashing of newcomers - healthcare costs are already going to go down.

Prime Minister Harper tried to do this in 2012. Not only did the Supreme Court reject that, Canadians also voted his government out of power.

80% of claimants in Canada are found to be bone-fide in a world in rupture with war in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. Many of those making claims in Canada will live here and contribute to our nation - and they have fled hell. While their immigration status is being determined - we need to be humane.

You do not need to be a doctor to feel this way. You need to be human.

https://t.co/QpMwXumbXV

[Dr. Doug Eyolfson @DougEyolfson]

From today’s Winnipeg Free Press: Immigration and Refugee Board has found a couple of dozen applications (around 0.1% of claims) are fraudulent.
This post by @PierrePoilievre is a dog-whistle to make Canadians believing that new Canadians are stealing their health care

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

CFPC concerned about the introduction of mandatory co-payments under the IFHP | The College of Family Physicians of Canada https://t.co/D7amO3MjWP @CFPC_e

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

Co-payments pose a threat to health-care access for refugees in Canada https://t.co/fvUdigwriC via @thespec

[UofT Family Medicine @UofTFamilyMed]

Join us for the Refugee Health Primer and gain practical skills to better serve newly-arrived refugees to Canada, while connecting with a growing network of refugee-serving clinicians.

📅 October 17 from 7:30AM–5PM
📍 Women’s College Hospital

Register: https://t.co/X02gb0tSiL

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

Do you want to learn about the health needs of #refugees? Join us at the Refugee Primer on August 17th @WCHospital. Come hear some wonderful speakers including @BogochIsaac @shazeen_s @MiaJacNP @vanessaredditt. More information is at https://t.co/XP1788yI88

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

Disappointed to hear about the possible closure of the Calgary refugee health clinic. How can this be good public policy? It's expensive to deny people primary care- people end up in ER's and admitted to hospital. Hope this decision changes @RTalavlikar https://t.co/wp4qvta1xJ

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

Make Canada stronger by supporting the health of refugees https://t.co/EpRb7OEOHo via @ConversationCA @gabefabreau

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

The Case For Refugee Reception Centres https://t.co/ejpGJ19Lc7

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

Students call for improved refugee health education in Ontario medical schools https://t.co/pAHmQsQhOU via @HealthyDebate

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

Asylum claimant dies at encampment outside Mississauga shelter - Toronto | https://t.co/fUAZo7KrA3 https://t.co/ywoLgX7H5s

[Timothy Caulfield @CaulfieldTim]

A tale of two disasters: Missing #Titanic sub captivates the world days after deadly migrant shipwreck https://t.co/EhSVj7eAtu by @chantaladasilva via @nbcnews

@sunderland_jude: "The willingness to allow certain people to die while every effort is made to save others ... it’s a, you know, really dark reflection on humanity."

[Maureen Silcoff @MSilcoff]

This Afghan female aid worker was at such high risk that when the Taliban took over, "she prepared the poison." She entered Canada at Roxham Rd, but would now be barred under the new #STCA. With thanks to @ericandrewgee for including my views in this chilling story.

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

https://t.co/SBHOFbIIRQ

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

The Roxham Road dilemma: What are Canada’s options in the border controversy? https://t.co/NmpozlMRgb via @torontostar

[meb rashid @mebrashid]

A very helpful guide for clinicians supporting newly arrived Ukrainian refugees: "The war in Ukraine and refugee health care: considerations for health care providers in Canada" https://t.co/JzLyLGjaN8 @gabefabreau

[Centre for Refugee Children @CRCrefugee]

As #WorldRefugeeDay draws to a close, we would like to highlight a few of the barriers that refugee and migrant children--including many of the unaccompanied children and youth we support at our Centre--continue to face in Canada:

[B/R Football @brfootball]

Alphonso Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana.

He's now one of the best left-backs in the world.

The 21-year-old has a message for #WorldRefugeeDay

[Women's College Hospital @WCHospital]

“We deal with the world’s heroes, people who have sacrificed so much in their lives." To mark #WorldRefugeeDay & WCH's Crossroads Clinic's years of service for refugees, Dr. @mebrashid shares how the clinic is providing an entry point to healthcare. https://t.co/AD89rU8TRd