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Poor European immigrants are denied medical care in Sweden
Tuesday, 09 July 2013
As the new law that will ensure that, even undocumented residents in
Sweden would receive healthcare get on the way, it has also emerged
that EU citizens without health insurance would continue not to have
access to healthcare in the country.
Thos hit are the poorest people in the society who have carried their
weak economic statue from where ever they came from to Sweden. They
would be fully denied care when they get sick in Sweden.
Swedish television report that the support centres that provide care
services to people outside the official healthcare system, Crossroads
has been collecting Europeans who left their homelands with the hope of
a better life in Sweden. After arriving Sweden, they have found that
the grass is not greener on the other side as trumpeted as such they
have no access to healthcare and a home and no money.
The vast majority were admittedly poor in their own countries of origin
as well, but they were not homeless before they came here. Many are
Romanian Romas specialising in begging on the streets, others are
Africans legally resident in southern European countries but as their
economies collapsed, they have moved northward.
Actually, they only stay in Sweden for about three months, but many
remain much longer in difficult conditions. Some are living on odd
jobs, mostly in restaurants or in the construction industry. Others are
begging on the streets, and such money is rarely enough for
accommodation so now that the weather has improved, they are sleeping
under the open sky.
Rolf Bystrom working as a doctor for the homeless in Stockholm
describes them as a new group of homeless. They are not drug or alcohol
abusers, they have no mental illness - they are just very poor.
During the spring, Rolf Bystrom and a nurse were working for the
support Centre Crossroads one day each week and offered simple health
care to this group.
"They are not seriously ill, often it just colds, repetitive strain
injuries and gynaecological disorders. However, even common diseases
has becomes difficult when living under such conditions, he said to
Swedish television.
Now in the summer, the health care clinic that was established for EU
migrants is closed and the staff at Crossroads may refer them to the
usual Swedish healthcare. But there they encounter trouble often.
"Many people come to me and tell me they went to a medical center or
hospital, but they have been rejected as they did not have the blue
EHIC" says Tiberiu Lacatus at Crossroads to Swedish television.
All who come to hospitals in Sweden and need emergency medical care get
it, but it is when it comes to other, less serious, condition there is
a problem. It usually has to do with wounds and skin conditions,
chronic conditions such as asthma and cardiovascular disease or pain in
the stomach or head.
For that kind of care, all EU citizens are expected to show up their
blue health card, which entitles the holder to subsidized medical care
wherever they go in the EU.
It may even be enough identification so the care caregiver may then be bill the home Member healthcare service.
However, this poorest group has no health insurance card. They have not
worked and paid taxes in their home countries and are not available in
home country social security system. In practice, the asylum seekers
and undocumented non-EU citizens, even if they have permission to stay
in Sweden for three months have similar situation but are taken care of.
On July 1, a new law that states that adults who reside in Sweden
without a permit are entitled to subsidized health care to asylum
seekers. That means they should be able to get the care that includes
dental care, prenatal care, care at abortion and health checks.
County councils have received additional contributions from the state
to meet the need for the undocumented. But question being asked is who
should pay for poor EU citizens who do not have health insurance in
their home countries remain less clear.
"The usual homeless, we are used to managing," says Rolf Bystrom. "Even
the undocumented, we have systems for but this new third group is a
gray area. It is difficult to know which rules apply and I feel that
many caregivers are uncertain."
by Scancomark.com Team