HALCO and HIV Legal Network condemn the decision to introduce co-payments under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). As health providers, refugee advocates, and legal experts have already warned, these changes will create new barriers to care for people who already face profound obstacles to accessing healthcare in Canada.
We call on the federal government to immediately reverse the introduction of IFHP co-payments and to commit to a rights-based, public health-driven approach to healthcare access. Access to care must not be used as a tool of deterrence or scapegoating. It is essential to protecting public health, human dignity, and the right to life and security of the person, for which the Government of Canada is responsible.
See here for the press release in French. See here for the press release in English.