Family caught in battle

BY SUE FEA

A massive cloud over her eligibility for free maternity care in New Zealand, after a two-month bureaucratic battle to stay in this country, left a pregnant Brazilian mum totally distraught in Queenstown yesterday.

Barbara Vieira's unexpected pregnancy delayed renewal of her and her husband Marcio Moura's work visas for two months until late last week they were granted temporary six-month visas, until seven weeks after their son is due.

They have been struggling to survive financially with their 4-year-old daughter because of the delays the pregnancy put on their visa renewal applications. Mr Moura had to discontinue his job as a stonemason where he worked for two years and Ms Vieira her supermarket job.

A distraught Ms Vieira, 22 weeks' pregnant, yesterday received a letter from the Queenstown Medical Centre saying her husband's visa renewal letter was "very unclear" about her eligibility for funded maternity care in New Zealand and she needed a clear letter of entitlement from Immigration New Zealand.

She met the requirements, having worked in New Zealand for two years previously – the couple arrived in Queenstown in May 2007 – but a seven-week delay in getting her visa renewal dealt with in 2008 interrupted her "continuous" work record, a requirement to be eligible for health care.

Arriving at Immigration New Zealand yesterday morning to ask for the letter, Ms Vieira was told by staff they could not give her one and they could not help her – it was a "health board system problem".

"I was so stressed and upset after all we've been through – I just screamed in there – I was praying to be arrested and sent back to Brazil, right now I just want to go home," Ms Vieira said, in tears.

"I just thought, after today, I'm done."

Queenstown Medical Centre clinical administrator Wendy Den Hertog said she had been tryingto get a "clear answer" from Immigration New Zealand onMs Vieira's eligibility since April.

"Immigration won't deal with us, only the district health board – we're not allowed to deal with them direct. I'd ring Immigration NZ and they'd say they can't talk to us, then the couple's passports were seized (due to pregnancy) in June," Ms Den Hertog said.

In desperation she called a senior contact at the Health Ministry who came to the rescue yesterday afternoon, emailing confirmation of Ms Vieira's eligibility to the medical centre.

She said the Mouras had been "diligent" about their applications the whole way through and were not trying to dodge the system.

Medical centre director Dr Richard Macharg said staff had "bent over backwards" to help Ms Vieira, although they were only funded for pregnancies up until 12 weeks. They would like the system to be "clearer and more responsive".

"We do a lot of work with and for Immigration – it is frustrating, you seem to be passed from pillar to post in these situations – we find it very difficult to get an eligibility ruling," Dr Macharg said.

But an Immigration New Zealand spokesman said the Health Ministry decided who was eligible for public health not Immigration NZ and there was "no automatic privacy waiver" between Immigration and health providers.

The visa delays were such that Mr Moura's employer had been forced to replace him and could only offer a few hours a day. He was now cleaning friends' cars and doing maintenance to support his family. The couple would probably have to return to Brazil earlier, but were hugely heartened with offers from throughout the south.

A Central Otago businessman offered financial assistance, Invercargill grandmother Myra McDonald sewed a suitcase full of clothes and brought gifts for Ana, a Queenstown woman paid Ana's overdue preschool fees, the phone bill and gave them $400 for groceries while another Queenstown woman paid their power bill.

"I was really surprised with all the help – they are extremely nice people," Ms Vieira said.

- © Fairfax NZ News