QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Peggy Sattler (London West) and MPP Andrea Horwath called on the provincial government to waive the OHIP waiting period for newly settled Ukrainian refugees in both question period and in a letter Thursday. Sattler released the following statement:
“Londoners are ready and waiting to open their homes to Ukrainians forced to flee Putin’s illegal invasion, but are worried about the high cost of health care for the families they are hosting. Many Ukrainians coming to Ontario have experienced significant physical and mental trauma, and will need urgent access to health care when they enter our province.
Those seeking refuge in Canada deserve access to comprehensive health care when they arrive. I join with the London Ukrainian Congress in calling on the province to waive the waiting period for OHIP and make health care accessible to Ukrainians and others seeking refuge as soon as they settle in Ontario.”
The federal government has not provided health care coverage for Ukrainians entering the country under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel. British Columbia, Quebec and Newfoundland have all announced that they will waive provincial health coverage waiting periods for these individuals. The standard OHIP waiting period is three months.
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