Ukrainian migrants may face barriers in accessing primary care, experts say

Migrant health experts are warning that the swift influx of Ukrainians fleeing to Canada could put some at risk of falling through cracks in primary care.

A new analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal Monday suggests that Canada’s special visa program for Ukrainians escaping war may help streamline the immigration process, but could also create gaps in access to medical care.

Lead author Dr. Christina Greenaway says while Ukrainian newcomers receive health-care coverage, they aren’t eligible for standard assistance from refugee settlement agencies because they are classified as “temporary residents.”

The infectious disease physician at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital says these settlement agencies help migrants connect with medical and psychological services that play an important role in ensuring smooth integration into Canada.

Greenaway says Canada needs to strengthen its systems to provide equitable health coverage to people affected by mass migrations, such as improving access to interpreters that would allow doctors to better communicate with newly arrived patients.

According to the federal government, 55,488 Ukrainians arrived in Canada between Jan. 1 and June 26.

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The government says it received 343,283 applications under the new program for Ukrainians between March 17 and June 28, and 146,461 were approved.

The medical director of the refugee health clinic at Women’s College Hospital said he’s only seen a few Ukrainian patients, which may be a sign of the “scattered” approach to resettlement.

Dr. Meb Rashid of the Crossroads Clinic has helped identify 60 clinics and clinicians who are offering their services to displaced Ukrainians, and has shared that information with community organizations. But it’s hard to say how many newcomers are taking advantage of these resources, said Rashid, who wasn’t involved in writing the CMAJ paper.

Many of the migrants the clinic sees didn’t have access to primary care in their home countries, he said, and may be receiving routine procedures, such as a blood pressure test, for the first time.

Identifying and treating illnesses early in the migration process is key to helping newcomers build a better life in Canada, said Rashid.

“With the Ukrainian migration, it’s really hard to know how many people are connected to health care and how many have not,” he said. “There are people that will connect and will connect early, but there will be others that don’t. I think that’s an opportunity missed.”