UFV

Social/ Medical Counseling as an Outbound Orientation service for Immigrants/ student visitors to Canada

Indo-Canadian Studies Centre, University of Mumbai had invited research proposal(s) towards “Social/ Medical Counseling as an Outbound Orientation service in Context of the Indo-Canadian Diaspora”. This proposal was invited under the South Asia Diaspora Fund, jointly administered by Mumbai University’s partner university, the University of the Fraser Valley, B.C. Canada.

Immigrants are identified as a ‘vulnerable population’ as a result of poor physical, psychological, and social health outcomes and inadequate healthcare. There are several factors such as socioeconomic background, limited English proficiency, stigma and marginalization and lack of awareness in obtaining adequate healthcare that lead to vulnerability of this population.[i]

The objective of this research is to identify gaps in prevalent healthcare policies, state policies, healthcare services, and immigrant behavior towards healthcare in Canada and recommend suggestion to improve awareness, availability and accessibility to quality healthcare among the diaspora population.

Data collection through a structured questionnaire will be conducted on two groups of target population; diaspora population in Canada and prospective diaspora population with an aim to gather an understanding of feelings, beliefs, experiences, perception or attitudes of the target populations. The analysis of data collated endeavors` to propose recommendations for pre-immigration orientation programs to serve prospective diaspora populations.

C M Health Foundation has been selected for the above project.

Dr C H Asrani, Founder President of the foundation will be visiting British Columbia under the aegis of South Asia Diaspora Fund to launch the activity that will culminate in July 2014. Dr Asrani is a Senior Family Physician with a flair of community based innovative activities

There is great excitement towards creating an exclusive offering for prospective diasporic population.

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