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I read with disgust the account of the Maine physician, who goes by the pseudonym Dr. Roya Afshar in her lawsuit, who alleges she was wrongly denied reentry to the U.S. at the Canadian border. What many Mainers do not realize is that foreign doctors have supplied much of the health care in rural areas for the 45 years I have practiced as a nurse here. They typically have green cards which only allow them to practice in underserved areas of our country.
This harassment of them at the border has worsened with the current administration and is not limited to Northern Light in Presque Isle. I understand that Cary Hospital in Caribou and other Aroostook County hospitals have had to plead with the powers that be because these physicians have returned to their home country for family emergencies and upon return are denied reentry.
For patients in Aroostook County, that means surgeries cancelled, doctor’s appointments postponed indefinitely or cancelled completely. Already it can take months to get a primary care provider and years to get into specialties like endocrinology, neurology, rheumatology that are only available in Bangor or Portland.
I am surprised any foreign doctor is willing to work in the U.S., given our well-publicized rogue immigration agencies and the continual uncertainty of their status. The immigration policies of the Trump administration have made provider shortage in rural areas significantly worse.
Meanwhile these vetted doctors with legal papers are being harassed upon reentry. Why? Maybe incompetence, but also cruelty and intimidation, because that is what I believe our government has become.
Dale J Gordon
Caribou