How closely is Health PEI watching immigrant health cards, Opposition asks

In the light of allegations from the Canada Border Services Agencythat hundreds of immigrants claiming permanent residence on P.E.I. shared just two addresses, provincial Tories are wondering how many of them were issued health cards.

A P.E.I. health card allows people to access servicesin other provinces that the P.E.I. government mayobligated to pay for.

"Hopefully Health PEI is tracking this," said PC MLA Sidney MacEwen.

"The auditor general has identified this as a problem. Is this group are they part of the problem? Are they accessing health care services outside of our province and the taxpayers of P.E.I. are footing the bill?"

A 2015 auditor general report found there isn't always proper documentation for medical claims.

The province says applicants are required to provide documentation when being issued a health card. That could include a permanent residency document or a work or study permit.

It says if there's a problem with the documentation then Medicare passes on the information so Citizenship & Immigration Canada can investigate further and provide the province with the results.

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