Some Toronto doctors are asking the federal government to ease up on deportations after recent high-profile removals have spooked many illegal migrants into cancelling appointments at clinics serving the uninsured.
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"If they keep pushing these people further underground, it's going to be not just a tragedy for these people's health but a huge public health concern down the road," said Dr. Meb Rashid, of Toronto's Access Alliance Multicultural Community Health Centre.
"This population is most vulnerable to infectious diseases such as typhoid, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. If an epidemic breaks out, there's no way we'd be able to control that."
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Canadian Press said that Rashid and several other physicians will demand that Ottawa halt deportations temporarily to calm fears in the community.
No statistics are available, but physician volunteers say they noted an increase in the number of medical cancellations after several high-profile removals precipitated rampant rumours about deportation round-ups in public places.
One such immigrant is 35-year-old Viviane, an undocumented immigrant from Brazil who is pregnant. She said she has stopped going to her doctor for prenatal care because her health risk doesn't come close to her fear of "getting caught" by immigration authorities.
The office cleaner, who is 21 weeks pregnant, has stayed locked inside her Toronto apartment and cancelled all her medical appointments, from regular checkups to genetic screening and blood tests, since rumours started two months ago that the Canada Border Services Agency was stepping up efforts to enforce deportation orders.
"I'm afraid that immigration would stop me on the street and send me back to Brazil. I had a very difficult pregnancy with my first child and I know I'm at high risk, but if I had to, I'd just have my second child at home," says Viviane, who came to Canada in 2000 as a visitor and overstayed her visa.