US medical groups asks for doctors’, patients’ exemption from travel ban

Since the time President Donald Trump’s travel ban has been imposed, there has been a lot of uncertainty among Americans and the citizens of the banned countries. Now in a recent bid to exempt doctors and critically-ill patients from the ban, the American Medical Association (AMA) has urged the current government to ease the ban for them.

In a letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, the AMA warned that the order could create barriers to healthcare by preventing international doctors from getting back to the country or from obtaining visas. The letter also urged that the order should also exempt patients from the ban, who need timely medical care in the United States.

“The AMA is concerned that this executive order is negatively impacting patient access to care, and creating unintended consequences for our nation’s health care system,” the group said in a letter posted on its web site. “It is vitally important that this process not impact patient access to timely medical treatment.”

Soon after assuming his powers, President Trump put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travelers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries, saying the moves would help protect Americans from terrorist attacks. Since then, protests have been staged at different airports throughout the US by the people affected by the ban.

The order could mean as many as 800 people needing medical entry will be denied entry, said Karen Monken of HIAS, a Maryland-based refugee assistance organization formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Feb 2 2017. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.