Vol. 19 No. 1 (2021)
Editorial

Exploration of Social and Political Factors that Impede Migrant Healthcare Availability and Access in Canada Amidst COVID-19

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  • Anish Arora,
  • Alayne Adams,
  • Bertrand Lebouché,
  • Amélie Quesnel-Vallée
Anish Arora
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Alayne Adams
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Bertrand Lebouché
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Amélie Quesnel-Vallée
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Unsplash - This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26443/mjm.v19i1.847

Published 2021-04-09

Keywords

  • Migrants,
  • Access,
  • Health Policy,
  • Health System,
  • Canada,
  • Inequity
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

1.
Arora A, Adams A, Lebouché B, Quesnel-Vallée A. Exploration of Social and Political Factors that Impede Migrant Healthcare Availability and Access in Canada Amidst COVID-19. McGill J Med [Internet]. 2021 Apr. 9 [cited 2025 Oct. 6];19(1). Available from: https://mjm.mcgill.ca/article/view/847

Copyright (c) 2021 McGill Journal of Medicine

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Abstract

Canada is a leading nation for international migration, yet fails to adequately respond to the healthcare needs of migrant populations. In this editorial, we explore why this is so. We posit that the reactive approach of  the systems and stakeholders responsible for assuring healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental to our vulnerable and marginalized populations, and by extension, all citizens. Now, amidst a second wave of COVID-19, we must act – more decisively and compassionately than ever before, with the support of rigorous research and co-designed sustainable strategies. Otherwise, we remain bystanders abetting a system that has failed to effectively address the health needs of those that enter this country seeking a better life.

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