By Nikki Jameson on January 19, 2021.
Sunny South News
A Picture Butte family is facing significant bills after experiencing an unexpected medical emergency.
Pierre and Sylvia Nieuwoudt and their three children have lived in Picture Butte since October, 2017, when they moved to the area from South Africa thanks to work permits. The family applied to renew their work permits in October, 2019 before they expired, but issues such as the ongoing pandemic meant they are still waiting to hear back on their approval.
While they are currently on implied status â meaning they can work, but arenât eligible for benefits such as the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) â Pierre experienced a ruptured brain aneurysm Sept. 18, 2020 â which saw him rushed to Lethbridge Hospital before being taken by STARS to Calgary, where he stayed in the Foothills Hospital before eventually being transferred back to the Lethbridge Hospital and then to St. Michaelâs Health Centre for physiotherapy, and returning home in November.
As a result of the aneurysm, Pierre has had to learn to walk again and has lost about 60 per cent of his eyesight.
While he and his family are doing good, Pierre is still recovering and cannot work, leaving his wife Sylvia as the sole earner for the household, and the family faces significant medical bills that need to be paid.
âThey simply donât have any access to anything. The only thing they do have is Sylviaâs salary,â said Zantel du Toit, a family friend.
âIt was just a horrible situation.â
According to a webpage on health care for temporary residents in Alberta, those under implied status do not qualify for AHCIP coverage, and the family has to pay for any health care needed.
Coverage may be reinstated and backdated to when coverage was cancelled if new documents have been restored or maintained â (it was noted in the remarks area online) â but, this is not guaranteed.
In the meantime, the family has accumulated more than $200,000 in medical bills for Pierreâs treatment, and the family had to stop Pierreâs treatment.
âMy son had a severe aneurysm. He wasnât even supposed to survive that. The doctor said, âthe specialist said people donât survive aneurysms like that,ââ said Thalana Jacobs, Pierreâs mother, who came to southern Alberta from South Africa to help the family. âThis is my son, and heâs not getting the care he needs.”
âHe needs medical attention I cannot give him, that nobody else can give him,” Pierreâs mom added.
Thereâs also the added stress now of what will happen if someone else gets hurts or sick in the family, as they canât afford treatment â which is something Pierre said, “you donât really think of before it happens.”
âPhysically, weâre good. Weâre all happy, weâre all in the house â but obviously, thereâs stuff on a level you think about. What if my son or my daughter get hit by a car or something happens? What will happen to my family if we have to go to a hospital?â asked Pierre.
âYou would think this isnât possible, but life can really go wrong.
âWeâre in implied status for 18 months, but what can really go wrong? Well, I had an aneurysm, so obviously something can go wrong.â
Pierre expressed great thanks to the community, which rallied around the family to help where needed and ensured the family had a good Christmas. Pierre added he felt, “blessed.”
âWe have seen so much support from the community in Picture Butte,â said Pierre. âWeâve had a lot of people in the community help us with food and gifts. I can only say how proud and thankful I am for such a great community I live in. Honestly, they were. I canât say how great this community has been to me. Everything was just amazing.
âFrom the schools, the amount of gifts, food â everything we have received. I canât say how much I appreciate all the help Iâve received. It was just honestly amazing.â
The family is presently pursuing permanent residency. However, due to legal and other issues, the family is focused on getting their work permits renewed.
Pierre noted the family would like to make Canada their permanent home.
Du Toit has launched Facebook and Go Fund Me fundraisers for the family to help with medical bills and every day expenses.
Alberta Health Communications Director ZoĂ« Cooper said generally speaking, “those who are waiting work permit renewal and have implied status are eligible for AHICP coverage. However, circumstances related to immigration and work permits can be complex, and there may be individuals who do not qualify for a temporary extension of their AHCIP coverage.”
âTemporary residents on study or work permits who applied for permit extensions are eligible to extend their AHCIP coverage if they applied for a permit extension prior to the expiration date,â said Cooper.
âThis temporary health coverage extension is provided to residents for whom the delay is related to the pandemic. However, cases related to temporary residents on work or study permits can be complex and their legal status to remain in Canada may need to be verified.â