The Equality Council found direct discrimination in access to medical services based on asylum seeker status in the case of a beneficiary of the association.
RF, a person who applied for asylum in the Republic of Moldova, received from the General Inspectorate for Migration a temporary identity document of the asylum seeker that allowed him to work legally.
RF was employed by a company based on an individual employment contract, and the employer withheld monthly from his salary the contributions for the mandatory medical insurance. However, when RF needed treatment for a fracture in his hand, the public medical institution near his home refused him help, arguing that he was not listed as an insured person. RF had to pay for the surgery and treatment out of his own pocket, and his absences from work were not justified because of the lack of the necessary medical documents.
CDA, through legal advisors Svetlana Olari and Olga Vacarciuc, notified the Equality Council about this case. Following the examination, the Council decided that the facts found constituted direct discrimination in access to medical services.
The Council also recommended that Parliament adopt legislative amendments to bring the national legal framework into line with European standards. These changes would allow asylum seekers working under an individual employment contract to benefit from the same rights and obligations in medical insurance as citizens of the Republic of Moldova.
In addition, the Council decided that the State Tax Service must refund the contributions for medical insurance withheld from RF’s salary during March 1, 2023 until he obtains the status of insured person.
Photo: ipn.md
