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A fully vaccinated Regina woman is having trouble proving her vaccination status because eHealth does not recognize her chosen name after marriage.
When Genna Rodriguez was married about a decade ago, she had no problems updating her government-issued photo ID and thought eHealth would also allow her to use her preferred surname, as stated on its website.
However, she ended up with a health card bearing a different name.
“My Saskatchewan driver’s licence says that I’m Genna Rodriguez and my Canadian passport says that I’m Genna Rodriguez. My Saskatchewan health card says that I am Genna Rodriguez Munoz, which is a primary and secondary last name of my husband,” Rodriguez said.
She said it wasn’t a major problem until the province introduced proof of vaccination to enter various businesses and establishments.
To obtain proof of her vaccination, Rodriguez needs an eHealth account, which she can’t get because her secondary ID does not match the name on her health card.
Rodriguez was invited by the NDP to share her story at the Saskatchewan Legislature on Wednesday afternoon to put the spotlight on a problem affecting many others.
A screenshot of the eHealth website saying residents can change to their “preferred” name. (Submitted by the Saskatchewan NDP)
Deputy Leader Nicole Sarauer said MLAs have been hearing from people across the province who have concerns about how to access their proof of vaccination.
She said problems arising from mismatched identity documents disproportionately affect women, who are more likely to change their names, as well as those with non-Anglicized names that might be long and go uncaptured.
“We’re weeks into the vaccine passport system and we still have Saskatchewan residents who’ve done everything right. They’ve gone and got both of their vaccines and the government still has yet to fix basic outstanding issues with proof of vaccination accessibility and accuracy,” Sarauer said.
Rodriguez tried “relentlessly” with eHealth to fix the issue but, in the end, was given two options: Change the name on all her other photo ID or apply for a legal name change. She said the latter would see her forfeit her birth certificate; her children’s birth certificates would have to be voided, as well as her marriage certificate.
“If I had to do a legal name change, that wipes out who I was prior to getting married. It would mean that I was born Genna Rodriguez … Genna Wagner would have no longer existed,” she said.
As vaccine passports came into full force, Rodriguez was unable to celebrate her daughter’s birthday at a restaurant. She doesn’t expect to visit family abroad either.
“I definitely won’t be able to board a plane or get past border security with vaccine proof that has one name and a passport that has something slightly different,” she said.
For vaccine proof, Rodriguez has relied on the wallet card given during her vaccine clinic.
The name on the card is also different, saying “Genna Munoz.” Rodriguez said she had trouble even getting into the Legislative Building but she “was able to kind of show the breadcrumb trail of how that ‘Munoz’ ended up on there.”
People who’ve been vaccinated in Saskatchewan with an out-of-province health card also do not have access to MySaskHealthRecords. However, Sarauer said while they are able to request a digital copy for free through email, people with Saskatchewan health cards need to request a paper copy for a $20 fee and pick it up in person.
“It’s strange that eHealth is the only government department who doesn’t seem to have a logical solution to this issue. For example, Genna was able to change her name with SGI with little problem. It’s eHealth that seems to have her locked in a bureaucratic nightmare,” Sarauer said.
“It’s up to the minister to ensure that there is a policy in place so there is a logical and easy solution to what is (a) bureaucratic issue and to make sure that that’s in place for not just Genna but for anyone else who might be experiencing this problem.”