The IBCR, along with 25 other organizations, academics and health and human rights professionals, signed an open letter asking the Government of Quebec to accelerate the implementation of its commitment to grant coverage by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) to all children born in Quebec, regardless of their parents’ migration status.
To this day, children born in Quebec but whose parents do not have access to RAMQ because of their migratory status continue to be systematically denied eligibility for provincial health insurance and access to the care they need, unless they can pay the full cost. In the context of a pandemic, this situation is all the more worrisome.
Following its announcement of July 23, 2020, the Quebec government confirmed on October 28, at a hearing before the Commission de l’administration publique, the planned introduction of a bill to put an end to this long-standing practice. However, despite similar announcements regularly put forward over the past 20 years, such legislation is still pending.
In this open letter, the IBCR, along with other organizations, academics and health and human rights professionals, respectfully request that the government and the National Assembly of Quebec:
- take immediate measures during the interim period pending the enactment of a new law to ensure immediate coverage for public health insurance for children born in Quebec;
- consider the possibility of retroactive reimbursements or the creation of a public fund for families who, for 20 years, have been forced to pay for essential health care services to which they should have had a right under the public health system.
- Prioritize the urgent study of health care insurance coverage not only for children but also for all persons living in Quebec, as Ontario has done since the month of March 2020.
“As a human being and a subject of their own right, a child should be treated autonomously and therefore should not be subject to the status of they’re parents. The best interests of the child must always prevail. »
Guillaume Landry, Director General of the International Bureau for Children's Rights
This mobilization echoes our 2019 press release: see here