Migrants facing barriers to healthcare during pandemic despite government reassurances of free access
A pharmacist stocking shelves at a chemist
MIGRANTS are facing more barriers to healthcare during the pandemic, despite government reassurances of free access, a report revealed over the weekend.
Public health charity Medact warned that exemptions on charges and immigration checks were “not working,” and that barriers, from hostile environment policies to language and translation issues, could be contributing to the disproportionately high rates of Covid-19 deaths among black and ethnic minority communities.
In a survey of 53 migrant support organisations in England and Wales, 70 per cent of respondents stated that the pandemic had negatively affected migrants’ willingness and ability to seek healthcare, the report revealed.
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