Gray C

Our daughter (aged 13) has been diagnosed as having a growth hormone deficiency and is likely to need growth hormone treatment for an indefinite period, until she has fully grown. The consultant has told us that the cost of the treatment is quite expensive.

Bearing in mind that the treatment could last for quite a long time, it is possible that it will overlap with our plans to move to Canada.

Two questions.

Is this likely to have a detrimental effect on the medical results for our daughter?

Secondly, if she needs to carry on this expensive treatment in Canada, will we have to fund this ourselves, or are we likely to get insurance cover to cover this expense.

I would really like to know if anyone else has gone through a similar experience.

I look forward to hearing your comments

PMM

Hi

Yes it will probably affect your application. Not being an Immigration Medical Officer, my comments are only conjection in that until your daughter is medically examined and the results analyzed, her condition could fall into "excessive demand" which means a refusal. Excess demand is where a medical treatment exceeds the average costs for Canadian residents.

If she is admitted her treatment would most likely be covered under the provincal plans, although you would have to research if your province of choice's medical plan covers the specific treatment.

PMM

gooding

I think nobody will be able to tell other than the medical officer when reviewing the case. They will take the whole picture into consideration.
How it effects life style, family, long term prognosis health concerns etc etc.

From a purely financial point of view, it was quoted somewhere that a view of excessive demand amounted to treatment costing more than $15016 over 5 years.I think this figure is worked out from the average cost of health services claimed per canadian which was about $3000 per year per person.
From non financial view they look at life expectancy, future complications of any current illness, ability to work.

They could see it that you were going to Canada to receive treatment if it was provided by health service. Insurance companies do not usually cover pre existing conditions. Finding out how much this treatment would cost here in UK may help you to know what per year you would be looking at to be paying if not on NHS. If costs exceed $3000 per year then they may see it as excessive.







QUOTE=Gray C]Our daughter (aged 13) has been diagnosed as having a growth hormone deficiency and is likely to need growth hormone treatment for an indefinite period, until she has fully grown. The consultant has told us that the cost of the treatment is quite expensive.

Bearing in mind that the treatment could last for quite a long time, it is possible that it will overlap with our plans to move to Canada.

Two questions.

Is this likely to have a detrimental effect on the medical results for our daughter?

Secondly, if she needs to carry on this expensive treatment in Canada, will we have to fund this ourselves, or are we likely to get insurance cover to cover this expense.

I would really like to know if anyone else has gone through a similar experience.

I look forward to hearing your comments[/QUOTE]

Gray C

We understand that the condition is fairly common and that if she/we decided not to go ahead with the treatment it will not have an adverse affect on her health in general, other than she will not grow to an "average" height in adulthood. However, we do think that she should have the treatment (course of injections) for her own sake.

The point that I would like to make is that Growth Hormone Dificiency (GHD) is not a lifelong condition and that she should be able to live a normal life once she has grown to an acceptable height. We are still not sure how long this course of treatment will take, months, or possibly a couple of years.
Would the fact that the condition is not lifelong be taken into consideration when she is being medically assessed?

Finally, would it make any difference if we gave an undertaking to pay all medical fees until the treatment was completed?

Any doctors out there that can give us a bit more information on this matter?

JAJ

I can't speak for Canada, but for Australia an 'expensive' condition would still be a problem even if it was time-limited. If the treatment was completed in the UK, and further treatment was not likely to be required, then things would be different.


Again, speaking for Australia the answer would be 'no'. The reason for this - and it may be the same in Canada - is that permanent residents are entitled to healthcare irrespective of any previous 'undertakings' like this.

Jeremy

Alberta_Rose

I would doubt that this condition would be a serious drain on the resources of the Canadian Healthcare system.

If she is 13 now, it's doubtful it'd need to continue beyond a couple of years, maybe less...... and don't forget that you will spend most of that time with your application under that wonky table leg at the CHC!!!!!

I think that nobody can tell you what the decision will be .... you're already in the pipeline anway, so you may as well "suck it and see"!!

Good Luck!

Gray C

Thanks. We are keeping our fingers crossed that everything will be OK