2023-05-14 05:29:13
A family participating in the government’s program to recruit nurses abroad has struggled to make ends meet since arriving in Quebec last February. After spending two months without housing, the household will have to go into debt of tens of thousands of dollars for the birth of the child they are expecting.
“Housing, health insurance, my pregnancy follow-up: we didn’t know in advance that we were going to encounter all these problems. Otherwise, I would not have accompanied him [au Québec] “says Sarah *, met at the Honoré-Mercier hospital, in Saint-Hyacinthe.
Her husband is part of a cohort of 28 nurses from Africa who began a one-year training in March at the Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe to perfect their knowledge before being hired at the CISSS de la Montérégie-Est. .
These candidates arrived in Quebec under the “skills recognition” project announced by the Legault government in 2022 and aimed, ultimately, to recruit 1,000 nurses abroad.
“It was my husband who decided to participate in the program. For him, it was a dream, to change his lifestyle and improve his skills,” says Sarah. Since the government invites candidates to settle in Quebec with their family, she left her job as a nurse in Morocco to accompany her husband.
But 30 weeks pregnant, the young woman is not eligible for the Quebec health insurance plan and does not have access to private insurance. She must therefore pay out of pocket for her care: blood tests, ultrasounds, childbirth.
” It’s inhumane ”
The situation upsets the Dre Sandrine Dionne, head of the obstetrics-gynecology department at the Honoré-Mercier hospital. “We are uprooting professionals from their country to come and help our health system and they have no coverage and find themselves below the poverty line. It’s inhuman,” she says indignantly.
The costs of giving birth without insurance in Quebec are generally between $15,000 and $25,000, says the Dre Dionne, responsible for monitoring Sarah’s pregnancy.
Participants in the government program were required to purchase private insurance upon arrival in Quebec, but Sarah was not eligible for any of these. “I tried with almost all private insurance, but no one wants to take care of a pregnant woman,” she says.
She cannot return to give birth in Morocco either, since she is no longer insured. “When I left my job, I lost the right to health insurance,” she says.
Called upon to react, the Ministry of Health and Social Services maintains that the participants in the project are well informed of their obligation with regard to the insurance coverage to be taken out for them and their family before their arrival.
Housing: a considerable challenge
However, the couple struggles to support themselves. Participants receive a stipend of $2,000 per month for the duration of the refresher training and are exempt from tuition fees. Since she is not participating in the program, Sarah has no income. “They are not entitled to food banks, since they are not entitled to social assistance”, adds the Dre Dione.
For me, it’s nonsense that we bring in foreigners to help our health system and that they end up in misery.
The Dre Sandrine Dionne, head of the obstetrics-gynecology department at the Honoré-Mercier hospital
For the first two months, the couple had no accommodation and lived in a small room at the Maison de la famille des Maskoutains with their 4-year-old son. “It was not a choice to live all three in a room,” drops Sarah.
Finding accommodation proved to be very difficult. “We had no documents to show the owners to strengthen our candidacy. It was just our word, Sarah said. No one agrees to rent an apartment to someone who arrived in Quebec a month ago. It’s normal. It has no guarantee. »
The Dre Dionne volunteered to help, without success. “When we were trying to find housing, we didn’t even have time to tell their story when people hung up,” she says. After weeks of trying, the family finally found accommodation at the end of April.
*Name has been changed to preserve anonymity.
Learn more
-
- 65 millions
- Credential Recognition Project Cost to Recruit 1000 Nurses Overseas
Source: Government of Quebec
1684074039
#Recruitment #nurses #Bad #surprise #pregnant #immigrant